We are buying a 4 bedroom semi-detached house in Ilford. The intention is to convert the garage to an office at the property.Will legal due diligence on the property include checks to see if these works were previously refused?
Your conveyancer will check the registered title as conveyancing in Ilford can occasionally reveal restrictions in the title documents which prohibit certain works or need the consent of a 3rd party. Some additions need local authority planning permissions and approval under the building regulations. Certain locations are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which often prevent or affect extensions. It would be wise to check these things with a surveyor ahead of any purchase.
When it comes to lenders such as UBS, do Ilford lawyers incur an annual charge to be on the conveyancing panel?
We are not aware of any lender fees to register on their panel, although some do charge an administration fee to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel application.
We are getting the release of further funds on our mortgage from Bank of Ireland as we intend to conduct improvements to our home in Ilford. Are we obliged to choose a bricks and mortar Ilford solicitor on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel to deal with the paperwork?
Bank of Ireland don't usually appoint firms on their approved list of lawyers to deal with the formalities. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Bank of Ireland panel.
I require expedited conveyancing in Ilford as I have an ultimatum to sign on the dotted line within 2 weeks. Fortunately I do not require a mortgage. Can I escape the need for conveyancing searches to save fees and time?
If.Given you are are a cash buyer you are at free not to have searches carried out although no conveyancer would recommend that you don't. With lots of history conveyancing in Ilford the following are instances of what can show up and therefore impact future saleability: Refused Planning Applications, Overdue Charges, Overdue Grants, Road Schemes,...
I purchased a renovated Georgian property in Ilford. Conveyancing solicitor represented me and Yorkshire Building Society. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and I saw two entries: the first freehold, another for leasehold with the exact same property. If a house is not a freehold shouldn't I have been informed?
You need to read the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Ilford and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they remortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with mortgage companies. You can also question the position with your conveyancing practitioner who conducted the purchase.
My company is intending to lease a unit on the high street. Can you recommend lawyers offering fixed charges for non-domestic conveyancing in Ilford for less than £2000?
We can recommend firms who host a wealth of experience of commercial conveyancing in Ilford, including the sale and acquisition of businesses as well as simply property. Whether you are looking to buy or dispose of a shop, pub, restaurant, office, retail unit or a whole business we will put you in touch with the right lawyer. Regarding the fees these will vary based on the structure and nuances of the proposed transaction. Let us have your details or telephone us so that we can provide you with a detailed commercial conveyancing calculation.
I've recently bought a leasehold property in Ilford. Do I have any liability for service charges relating to a period prior to my ownership?
In a situation where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous lessee and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. Strange as it may seem, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. A critical element of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to be sure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.
If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).
I have given up trying to purchase the freehold in Ilford. Can this matter be resolved via the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal?
if there is a absentee freeholder or where there is dispute about the premium for a lease extension, under the relevant legislation you can apply to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal to determine the premium.
An example of a Lease Extension case for a Ilford premises is 49 Aldborough Road South in July 2012. The Tribunal decided that the premium payable for the grant of the new lease was £13,925 This case was in relation to 1 flat. The remaining number of years on the lease was 61.36 years.
My wife and I are acquiring a 2 bedroom flat in Ilford. At the point of instructing our property lawyer, they said that they were on all major UK bank panels. Our financial adviser emailed just now to advise that they don't seem to be on the UBS approved list. Were it to be true, what should we do? Should we just find a new conveyancing practitioner that is on their approved list or should we pay for separate representation, with UBS appointing their own approved conveyancer.
Where you are acquiring a property requiring a mortgage it is usual for the purchaser’s lawyers to also represent the mortgage company. In order to act for a bank or building society a conveyancer has to be on that lender's list of approved lawyers. An application has to be made by the property lawyer to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict conditions which the lawyer has to satisfy. Some lenders now insist their panel firms to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme. Your conveyancing practitioner should call UBS and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own solicitors to act. You are not legally obliged to appoint a law firm on UBS's conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own Ilford solicitors, in which case your legal fees may increase, and it will likely delay the transaction as you have another set of people involved.