My grandmother passed away six months ago and as sole heir and executor I was left the house in Houghton Regis. The house had a relatively small loan remaining of approximately £4500. I want to have the title changed into my name whilst I re-mortgage to Skipton, pay off the mortgage. Is this possible?
Given you intend to re-mortgage then Skipton will insist on your using a conveyancer on the Skipton conveyancing panel. Here is link to the Land Registry online guidance around what to do when a property owner dies. This will help you to understand the registration process behind changing the details re the registered title. in your case it would appear that you are effectively purchasing the property from the estate. Your Skipton conveyancing panel solicitor pays the new mortgage money into the estate, the estate pays off the old mortgage, the charge is released and you become the owner and the Skipton mortgage is registered as a charge at the Land Registry.
I am helping my sister sell her flat in Houghton Regis. Does the conveyancer commission an EPC or it is for the seller to coordinate?
Following the demise of HIPs, energy assessments remained a compulsory part of moving house. An energy performance certificate should be commissioned in advance of the property being marketed. It is not something that lawyers normally arrange. Where you are using a Houghton Regis conveyancing lawyer they may help arrange energy performance certificates given their relationships with long established Houghton Regis providers
When it comes to mortgage companies such as Clydesdale, do Houghton Regis conveyancing practitioners incur a fee to be on the list of approved solicitors?
We are unaware of any bank fees to be on their panel, although some do charge an administration charge to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel application.
is it true that all Houghton Regis solicitor firms on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel are governed by the SRA?
As solicitors, in order to be on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel they would need to be overseen by the SRA. Some mortgage companies do permit licenced conveyancers on their panel in which case such organisation would be regulated by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.
Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to our home can not be found. The solicitors who dealt with the conveyancing in Houghton Regis 10 years ago no longer exist. What do I do?
You no longer need to hold title official documentation to establish that you own the land or premises, as the Land Registry have everything they need in a digital format.
What tools are available to identify a Houghton Regis solicitor on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel? I have a car and am happy to travel upto 10kilometers to meet the lawyer.
You can use the search on this website. Please select a bank and your location and you will see a number of Houghton Regis conveyancing lawyers located nearest you. We have detailed some Houghton Regis conveyancing firms at the bottom of this page and you can call them to see whether they are on the Leeds Building Society panel
Am I best advised to choose a Houghton Regis conveyancing solicitor based in the area that I am buying? We have a good friend who can execute the legal work however his firm is located 300miles away.
The primary upside of using a high street Houghton Regis conveyancing practice is that you can attend the office to execute paperwork, present your identification documents and pester them if necessary. They will also have local insight which is a plus. However nothing is more important than finding someone that will pull out all the stops for you. If other friends have used your friend and in the main were happy that must trump using an unknown Houghton Regis conveyancing solicitor just because they are Houghton Regis based.
How and when do I pay the Stamp Duty Land Tax payable for my purchase in Houghton Regis?
Most conveyancing practitioners tend to fill out a stamp duty return for you during your Houghton Regis purchase transaction for signature. On completion your conveyancer will submit your STL Return Form to the Inland Revenue and - as long as they have the funds - settle any tax bill due for you.