My property lawyer in Launceston is not on the Norwich and Peterborough Building Society Solicitor Panel. Can I still continue with my prefered solicitor notwithstanding that they are not on the Norwich and Peterborough Building Society list of approved lawyers?
The limited options available to you here include:
- Complete the purchase with your existing Launceston lawyers but Norwich and Peterborough Building Society will need to retain a conveyancer on their list of acceptable firms. This will inevitably rack up the overall legal charges as well as result in frustration.
- Get an alternative practitioner to to deal with the conveyancing, remembering to check they are Norwich and Peterborough Building Society approved.
- Try to convince your Norwich and Peterborough Building Society solicitor to seek to join the Norwich and Peterborough Building Society panel
We are purchasing a property in Launceston. I might seem paranoid but how we can trust a solicitor? On completion day we will need to send funds into their account. What is the protection we have from them run away with our monies?
Be assured that all money in a Solicitors client account is 100% safe, and even if your Solicitor ran off with it, the Law Society would reimburse you fully.
Forgive me if this question is silly but I am new to the process as FTB of a two bedroom flat in Launceston. Do I receive the keys to the premises on the completion date from my conveyancer? If this is the case, I will instruct a High Street conveyancing solicitor in Launceston?
On the day of completion you do not need to attend the conveyancers office in Launceston. Conveyancing lawyers for you will arrange to send the completion advance to the vendor’s lawyers, and shortly after the monies have arrived, you should be called to collect the keys from the selling Agents and start moving into the property. This tends to happen between 1 and 3pm.
When it comes to lenders such as Kent Reliance, do Launceston conveyancers incur a fee to be on the conveyancing panel?
We are not aware of any mortgage company fees to be on their list of approved firms, although some do charge an administration charge to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel application.
My partner and I are intent on selling our property in Launceston and the buyers lawyers are claiming that there is a possibility that the property was built land that was not decontaminated. Any high street Launceston conveyancer would know this is not the case. For the life of me I don't know why the purchasers instructed a web based conveyancing firm as opposed to a conveyancing solicitor in Launceston. Having lived in Launceston for six years we know of no issue. Do we contact our local Authority to get confirmation need.
It would appear that you have a conveyancing solicitor already. Are they able to advise? You should check with your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out health insurance to cover that same ailment)
Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly picked up during conveyancing in Launceston?
Covenants that are restrictive in nature can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the legal transfer of property in Launceston. 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…’
I have been on the look out for a ground for flat up to £305k and found one round the corner in Launceston I like with amenity areas and transport links nearby, however it's only got 52 remaining years left on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Launceston in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake purchasing a short lease?
If you need a mortgage the shortness of the lease will likely be an issue. Reduce the offer by the expected lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing proprietor has owned the premises for at least 2 years you can ask them to commence the lease extension formalities and pass it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease term with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing lawyer about this matter.
I have just started marketing my basement flat in Launceston. Conveyancing solicitors are to be appointed soon, however I have just received a yearly maintenance charge demand – should I leave it to the buyer to sort out?
It best that you clear the maintenance contribution as normal as all rents and maintenance payments should be apportioned on completion, so you should recover the relevant percentage by the purchaser for the period running from after the completion date to the next payment date. Most managing agents will not acknowledge the buyer until the service charges have been paid and are up to date, so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. This will smooth the conveyancing process.
Launceston Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Examples of Queries Prior to Purchasing
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The majority of Launceston leasehold properties will have a service bill for maintenance of the block invoiced on behalf of the management company. Where you purchase the apartment you will have to pay this charge, usually quarterly throughout the year. This can vary from two or three hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for bigger purpose-built blocks. There will also be a ground rent for you to pay yearly, ordinarily this is not a large amount, say around £25-£75 but you need to check as occasionally it could be many hundreds of pounds. Who takes charge for maintaining and repairing the building? Are any of leasehold owners in dispute over their service charge liability?