I am obtaining a mortgage with Halifax. I intend to instruct a Licensed Conveyancer in Littlehampton. Does the Halifax Solicitor panel exclude conveyancers regulated by the CLC?
The Halifax approved solicitor list is, like many other lenders, associated to the Council or Mortgage Lenders or BSA, open to Licensed Conveyancers regulated by the CLC.
Finally the sale completed on my house in Littlehampton last September yet the purchaser is texting me to say her conveyancer needs to hear from myconveyancer. What should have happened now that I have sold?
After completion of your sale your solicitor should deliver the transfer deeds and all additional paperwork to the buyer’s conveyancer. Depending on the transaction, your conveyancer should also send confirmation that the mortgage has been discharged to the purchasers conveyancers. There is unlikely to be post completion procedures just for conveyancing in Littlehampton.
We have agreed to purchase a house in Littlehampton. A rare aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. TSB have issued a mortgage offer so presumably this is not a concern to them. Why is my solicitor raising questions about the panel?
Given that you are obtaining a mortgage with TSB your lawyer must check the conveyancing instructions set out in Part two of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for TSB. The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook includes minimum provisions for solar panel roof-space leases, and solicitors are required to report to TSB where a lease does not satisfy these requirements. The requirements relate to the installation of panels on properties in England and Wales and is not limited to Littlehampton.
The formalities of my purchase has taken place for my property in Littlehampton. Conveyancing was of an acceptable standard but I feel I should register my dissatisfaction about the lender. Who do I contact should I wish to lodge a complaint?
Most lenders have complaints procedures. Your first port of call should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Services Department at head office. In most cases complaints to a lender are resolved very quickly. However if you are not satisfied that the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service who will take matters further.
Intending to buy a flat in Littlehampton. I have received an online quote from a licenced conveyancer, which states: "There will be no charge for dealing with the Building Society if you are obtaining a mortgage". I take this to mean that there will be no additional fee if the solicitor is on the Coventry BS conveyancing panel. I wanted to make sure it means there will be no additional fees for dealing with the mortgage.
They are simply saying that the cost for acting for the lender is included in the fee being quoted. It is worth you checking that the Littlehampton conveyancing practitioner is on the Coventry BS conveyancing panel.
Due to the encouragement of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a property in Littlehampton prior to retaining lawyers. I have been advised that there is a flying freehold element to the property. The surveyor has said that some banks may refuse to give a mortgage on such a home.
It depends who your proposed lender is. Santander has different instructions from Nationwide. If you contact us we can investigate further via the relevant mortgage company. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Littlehampton. Conveyancing may be slightly more expensive based on your lender's requirements.
We are four weeks into a residential purchase having been directed to a firm by the selling agent to perform conveyancing in Littlehampton. I am am very disappointed with the quality of service. Could you help me find new conveyancers?
They would need to be really poor in order to consider diss instructing them. Has the mortgage offer been generated? In the event that it has you will need to advise them of the replacement solicitor and ensure the offer are issued to the new lawyers. Your solicitor ideally needs to be on the banks approved list to avoid escalating expenses and complications. So that should be your first question of the new conveyancers. The find a solicitor tool can help you find a bank approved lawyer for your home move in Littlehampton
Do you have any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Littlehampton with the purpose of expediting the sale process?
- Much of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Littlehampton can be bypassed where you get in touch lawyers the minute you market your property and ask them to collate the leasehold information needed by the buyers’ solicitors. You believe that you know the number of years remaining on your lease but you should double-check via your solicitors. A purchaser's lawyer will not be happy to advise their client to to exchange contracts if the lease term is under 80 years. In the circumstances it is important at an early stage that you consider whether the lease term requires a lease extension. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your home on the market for sale. If you have had conflict with your freeholder or managing agents it is very important that these are resolved prior to the flat being put on the market. The purchasers and their solicitors will be warry about purchasing a property where a dispute is ongoing. You will have to accept that you will have to pay any arrears of service charge or resolve the dispute prior to completion of the sale. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled ahead of the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You will still have to reveal particulars of the dispute to the purchasers, but it is clearly preferable to reveal the dispute as historic as opposed to unresolved. A minority of Littlehampton leases require Landlord’s consent to the sale and approval of the buyers. If this applies to your lease, you should place the estate agents on notice to make sure that the purchasers obtain financial (bank) and professional references. Any bank reference should make it clear that the buyer is financially capable of paying the annual service charge and the actual amount of the service charge should be quoted in the bank’s letter. You will therefore need to provide your estate agents with the service charge figures so that they can pass this information on to the buyers or their solicitors. If you are supposed to have a share in the Management Company, you should ensure that you hold the original share document. Obtaining a duplicate share certificate is often a lengthy formality and slows down many a Littlehampton home move. If a new share is required, do contact the company officers or managing agents (where relevant) for this at the earliest opportunity.
Littlehampton Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Sample of Questions you should ask before buying
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What is the length of the lease? The best form of lease arrangement is if the freehold interest is in the ownership of the leaseholders. In this scenario the lessees enjoy being in charge if their destiny and even though a managing agent is usually retained where the building is bigger than a house conversion, the managing agent acts for the leaseholders themselves. How is the lease structured?