Is the fact that my solicitor in Little Mill is not listed on my lender's solicitor panel that there is a problem with the quality of his work?
That would more than likely be an incorrect assumption to make. There are plenty of reasonable explanations. A recent report by the solicitors regulator revealed that over three quarters of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The most common reasons for removal are: (1) low volume of transactions (2) the solicitor is a sole practitioner (3) as part of the HSBC panel reduction (4) regulatory contact by SRA (5) accidental removal. Should you be concerned you should contact the Little Mill conveyancing practice and ask them why they are no longer on the approved list for your bank.
My Conveyancer in Little Mill has never been on on the Santander Conveyancing Panel. Can I still continue with my prefered solicitor notwithstanding that they are excluded from the Santander approved list?
The limited options open to you here include:
- Complete the purchase with your preferred Little Mill lawyers but Santander will need to use a solicitor on their panel. This will inevitably rack up the overall legal fees and result in frustration.
- Choose a new solicitor to act in the conveyancing, remembering to check they are on the Santander panel
I completed on my home on 6 February and the transaction details is yet to be registered. Any reason for this? My conveyancing solicitor in Little Mill advises it would be recorded inside ten days. Are titles in Little Mill particularly slow to register?
As far as conveyancing in Little Mill registration is no faster or slower than anywhere else in the country. Rather than based on location, timeframes can vary subject to who lodges the application, whether there are errors and if the Land registry need to notify any interested parties. At present approximately 80% of such applications are fully addressed within 12 days but occasionally there can be protracted hold-ups. Registration is effected once the buyer is living at the property so post completion formalities is not usually an essential issue yet if there is a degree of urgency associated with the registration then you or your conveyancer should communicate with the Registry to express the reasoning for the application to be prioritised.
How does conveyancing in Little Mill differ for new build properties?
Most buyers of new build residence in Little Mill come to us having been asked by the housebuilder to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the house is constructed. This is because builders in Little Mill tend to buy the land, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct conveyancers as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are used to new build conveyancing in Little Mill or who has acted in the same development.
I decided to have a survey carried out on a property in Little Mill ahead of instructing solicitors. I have been informed that there is a flying freehold element to the house. Our surveyor advised that some mortgage companies tend not issue a mortgage on a flying freehold house.
It depends who your proposed lender is. Santander has different instructions for example to Birmingham Midshires. If you contact us we can look into this further via the relevant bank. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Little Mill. Conveyancing will be smoother if you use a solicitor in Little Mill especially if they are acquainted with such properties in Little Mill.
Last November I purchased a leasehold house in Little Mill. Am I liable to pay service charges for periods before my ownership?
Where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous owner and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. However, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. It is an essential part of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to ensure 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).
Leasehold Conveyancing in Little Mill - Examples of Questions you should ask before Purchasing
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How many years remain on the lease? Most Little Mill leasehold properties will be liable to pay a service charge for maintenance of the block levied on behalf of the management company. Where you acquire the apartment you will have to pay this contribution, normally periodically accross the year. This could vary from two or three hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for buildings with lifts and large common areas. There will also be a ground rent for you to pay annual, ordinarily this is not a exorbitant sum, say about £25-£75 but you need to check it because sometimes it could be many hundreds of pounds. Best to be warned if changing the roof or some other significant cost is anticipated to be shared by the tenants and will dramatically impact the level of the service charges or necessitate a one off invoice.