It is a dozen years since I acquired my home in Longton. Conveyancing solicitors have now been instructed on the sale but I am unable to track down the deeds. Will this cause complications?
You need not be too concerned. Firstly there is a chance that the deeds will be retained by your mortgage company or they may stored with the conveyancers who acted in your purchase. Secondly in most cases the land will be registered at the land registry and you will be able to establish that you own the property by your conveyancing solicitors acquiring up to date copy of the land registers. Almost all conveyancing in Longton involves registered property but in the rare situation where your property is not registered it adds to the complexity but is not insurmountable.
My property lawyer in Longton is not on the Yorkshire Building Society Conveyancing Panel. Is it possible for me to use my family solicitor even though they are not on the Yorkshire Building Society approved list?
The limited options available to you here include:
- Carry on with your preferred Longton lawyers but Yorkshire Building Society will need to instruct a lawyer on their list of acceptable firms. This will result in additional total legal charges as well as result in frustration.
- Find an alternative practitioner to act in the conveyancing, remembering to check they are Convince your solicitor to do everything within their powers to join the Yorkshire Building Society conveyancing panel
My wife and I purchasing a end of terrace house in Longton. We would like to carry out an extension to the side at the property.Will legal due diligence on the property involve enquiries to determine if these alterations are prohibited?
Your conveyancer will review the deeds as conveyancing in Longton can on occasion reveal restrictions in the title deeds which prevent certain changes or require the permission of a 3rd party. Many extensions need local authority planning permissions and approval under the building regulations. Some locations are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which often prevent or affect extensions. You should check these issues with a surveyor before you commit yourself to a purchase.
I've digested plenty of house buying guides, I note that it is considered advisable to get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Longton solicitor - who is on the Barclays conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. Is that normal?
Barclays will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Barclays will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. Your property lawyer will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by your Longton postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Barclays, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Longton.
Aldermore have agreed my home loan in principle, my bid on a apartment in Longton has been accepted, now what?
Your property agent will need to know who your solicitors are (ensure that the solicitors are on the lender’s approved list). Contact Aldermore or the broker and finish off any relevant documentation. Aldermore will appoint a valuer who will get in touch with the selling agent or seller to book a time for the valuation to take place. Once conducted (assuming no problems) it takes on average ten days to receive the mortgage offer. Aldermore will send the offer to you and your conveyancers. The legal work will then take it’s course according the nature and complexity of the conveyancing in Longton.
I require fast conveyancing in Longton as I am under pressure to complete inside 4 weeks. A home loan is not required. Can I avoid the conveyancing searches to save money and time?
As you are not taking a mortgage you are at free not to have searches carried out although no solicitor would recommend that you don't. Drawing on years of experience of conveyancing in Longton the following are instances of issues that can show up and therefore impact future mortgageability: Refused Planning Applications, Overdue Charges, Overdue Grants, Railway Schemes,...
Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold element on a house I have offered on a fortnight ago in what was supposed to be a quick, no chain conveyancing. Longton is where the house is located. Is there any advice you can give?
Flying freeholds in Longton are not the norm but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside Longton you would need to get your solicitor to go through the deeds very carefully. Your lender may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Longton may decide 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 premises.
I today plan to offer on a house that seems to meet my requirements, at a reasonable figure which is making it more attractive. I have subsequently found out that it's a leasehold as opposed to freehold. I would have thought that there are issues purchasing a house with a leasehold title in Longton. Conveyancing advisers have not yet been instructed. Will my lawyers set out the risks of buying a leasehold house in Longton ?
Most houses in Longton are freehold and not leasehold. In this scenario it’s worth having a local solicitor used to dealing with such properties who can assist with the conveyancing process. It is clear that you are purchasing in Longton so you should seriously consider looking for a Longton conveyancing solicitor and check that they are used to transacting on leasehold houses. First you will need to check the number of years remaining. As a lessee you will not be entirely free to do whatever you want with the house. The lease comes with conditions such as requiring the landlord’spermission to carry out alterations. It may be necessary to pay a contribution towards the maintenance of the communal areas where the property is part of an estate. Your solicitor will report to you on the legal implications.
Longton Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Examples of Questions you should ask before buying
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How much is the maintenance charge and ground rent on the flat? Please note that where the lease has no more than eighty years it will have adverse implications on the value of the property. Check with your lender that they are willing to to proceed given the lease term. Leases with less than 80 years remaining means that you will almost definitely have to extend the lease at some point and you need to have some idea of how much this would cost. Remember, in most cases you would need to own the residence for two years in order to be entitled to exercise a lease extension. How many of the leaseholders are in arrears for their maintenance charge payments?