I was recommended to a lawyer who has sent a quote for £1400 for fixed fee conveyancing in Kingston. I am selling a modern detached home for £200,000. Are these conveyancing fees excessive? Is it in excess of the average fee for conveyancing in Kingston?
The charges are a tad high. If you shop around you could reduce the fees marginally by perhaps £100 plus VAT. That being said, you maylive to rue opting for an an unknown conveyancer. Remember to check that the firm can act for your mortgage company. Do make use of our search tool to find a Kingston conveyancing firm on the banks approved list of lawyers which can often include conveyancing solicitors in Kingston.
Is it the case that all Kingston CQS (Conveyancing Quality Scheme) solicitors are on the Skipton conveyancing list of approved practices?
Some major banks and building societies now utilise CQS as the starting point for Panel approval such as HSBC and Santander. The Law Society’s CQS membership however is no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. Nevertheless,the Council of Mortgage Lenders have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for firms wishing to remain on their approved list of conveyancing solicitors.
I have today made my last payment due on my mortgage with UBS. I assume I don't need a Kingston solicitor on the UBS panel to discharge the mortgage at the Land Registry. Please confirm.
If you have finished paying off your UBS mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the UBS mortgage from the register. UBS, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:
- but are not moving to another property
- where UBS has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
- UBS has instructed the Land Registry to do so
Yorkshire BS have agreed my mortgage in principle, my offer on a flat in Kingston has been accepted, now what?
The property agent will need to know who your solicitors are (ensure that the conveyancers are on the lender’s approved list). Contact Yorkshire BS or your broker and complete any outstanding forms. Yorkshire BS will sellect a valuer who will get in contact with the selling agent or vendor to arrange a slot for the valuation to occur. Once conducted (assuming no problems) it takes approximately a fortnight for the mortgage offer to be issued. Yorkshire BS will send the offer to you and your conveyancing practitioners. The transaction will then take it’s course according the nature and complexity of the conveyancing in Kingston.
I have been told that property searches are the main cause of stalling in Kingston conveyancing transactions. Is that correct?
The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) released findings of research by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not feature amongst the top 10 causes of hindrances during the legal transfer of property. Searches are unlikely to feature in any delay in conveyancing in Kingston.
Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly picked up as part of conveyancing in Kingston?
Restrictive covenants can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the process of conveyancing in Kingston. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’
Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold element on a house I put an offer in a fortnight ago in what should have been a simple, no chain conveyancing. Kingston is the location of the property. Can you offer any guidance?
Flying freeholds in Kingston are unusual but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even though you don't necessarily need a conveyancing solicitor in Kingston you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds very carefully. Your bank may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Kingston may determine that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold property.
I work for a busy estate agency in Kingston where we have witnessed a few flat sales derailed due to leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have been given conflicting advice from local Kingston conveyancing solicitors. Can you confirm whether the vendor of a flat can instigate the lease extension formalities for the purchaser on completion of the sale?
Provided that the seller has owned the lease for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. This means that the buyer can avoid having to sit tight for 2 years for a lease extension. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment needs to be completed before, or simultaneously with completion of the sale.
Alternatively, it may be possible to extend the lease informally by agreement with the landlord either before or after the sale. If you are informally negotiating there are no rules and so you cannot insist on the landlord agreeing to grant an extension or transferring the benefit of an agreement to the purchaser.
Kingston Leasehold Conveyancing - A selection of Queries before Purchasing
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The answer will be important as a) areas may result in problems in the block as the common areas may start to deteriorate where repairs remain unpaid b) if the leasehold owners have an issue with the running of the building you will want to have complete disclosure Does this lease have more than 85 years unexpired? What is the name of the managing agents?