We were just about to exchange contracts for a garden flat in Longthorpe. We have hit a stumbling block. Our loan offer with Platform Home Loans Ltd expires on 31/10/2025 but the owners are putting forward a completion date of 4/11/2025. Can one extend the mortgage expiry date?
The person best placed to address this concern is your conveyancer who will hopefully determine whether they corresponding with the mortgage company, owner’s lawyers, selling agents or indeed all three given the history of your house move to date.
Having invested time scouring mumsnet.com for a conveyancing solicitor in Longthorpe, many say that I should look for a CQS assured lawyer. Can you explain what CQS is?
Longthorpe Conveyancing Quality Scheme solicitors have achieved certification by the law Society The Law Society introduced CQS to establish evidence of quality standards in the in the legal transfer of properties. CQS enables home movers to recognise solicitor firms who provide a quality residential conveyancing. Longthorpe is one of locations in England and Wales in which accredited firms are based. The scheme requires law firms to undergo a strict assessment, compulsory training, self-reporting, spot checks and annual reviews in order to maintain CQS status. It is available to solicitors and not licensed conveyancers and has the support of the Building Societies Association.
Please help - my lawyer says that defective lease insurance is needed on my purchase. What is the typical level of cover needed for conveyancing in Longthorpe?
The appropriate level of defective lease indemnity insurance depends on who your lender is. It would differ for example between HSBC Bank and Virgin Money. Conveyancing solicitors as opposed to borrowers take out such policies.
Is it the case that all Longthorpe CQS (Conveyancing Quality Scheme) solicitors are on the Santander conveyancing list of approved practices?
It is true that some lenders now use the accreditation scheme as the kick off point for Panel membership 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 join their panels.
I have decided to exercise my right to buy my property in Longthorpe off the council. I have a mortgage agreed with Barclays. Conveyancing is new to me. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should use one. Any advice?
It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with Barclays, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Barclays conveyancing panel.
Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly identified during conveyancing in Longthorpe?
Restrictive covenants can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the process of conveyancing in Longthorpe. 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 recently realised that I have 72 years remaining on my flat in Longthorpe. I now wish to get lease extension but my landlord is absent. What are my options?
If you qualify, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the County Court for an order to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will mean that your lease can be extended by the Court. You will be obliged to prove that you have done all that could be expected to find the freeholder. For most situations an enquiry agent would be useful to conduct investigations and prepare an expert document which can be used as proof that the landlord is indeed missing. It is wise to seek advice from a property lawyer both on proving the landlord’s absence and the vesting order request to the County Court overseeing Longthorpe.
Longthorpe Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Sample of Questions you should ask Prior to buying
-
What is the the remaining lease term? Make sure you investigate if there is anything that is prohibited in the lease. By way of example plenty of leases prohibit pets being permitted in in a block in Longthorpe. If you love the propertyin Longthorpe but your cat is not allowed to live with you then you will be faced hard decision.
My wife and I are purchasing a studio flat in Longthorpe. When we first instructed lawyer, they said that they were on all major UK bank panels. The financial adviser emailed just now to say that they are not on the Nationwide approved list. If it turns out to be true, what should we do? Do we simply find a new property lawyer that is on their panel or should we pay for dual representation, with Nationwide appointing their own preferred lawyer.
Where you are acquiring a property with the assistance of a mortgage it is usual for the buyer’s lawyers to also represent the mortgage company. In order to act for a bank or building society a lawyer has to be on that lender's list of approved lawyers. An application has to be made by the conveyancing practitioner to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict conditions which the lawyer has to meet. Some building societies now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Accreditation Scheme. Your property lawyer should call Nationwide 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 Nationwide's conveyancing panel as you are at liberty to use your preferred Longthorpe lawyers, in which case your legal fees may increase, and it will likely delay the transaction as you have another set of people involved.