My uncle passed away last year and as sole heir and executor I was left the house in Millom. The house had a relatively small loan remaining of approximately £8000. I want to have the title changed into my name whilst I re-mortgage to Santander, pay off the mortgage. Is this possible?
Where you intend to re-mortgage then Santander will insist on your using a conveyancer on the Santander conveyancing panel. Here is link to the Land Registry online guidance around what to do when a property owner dies. This will help you to understand the registration process behind changing the details re the registered title. in your case it would appear that you are effectively purchasing the property from the estate. Your Santander conveyancing panel solicitor pays the new mortgage money into the estate, the estate pays off the old mortgage, the charge is released and you become the owner and the Santander mortgage is registered as a charge at the Land Registry.
We are purchasing a terrace house in Millom. The intention is to convert the garage to an office at the property.Will legal conveyancing on the property involve investigations to see if these alterations are allowed?
Your property lawyer should review the deeds as conveyancing in Millom will sometimes identify restrictions in the title documents which restrict categories of changes or need the permission of a 3rd party. Certain extensions need local authority planning permissions and approval in compliance with building regulations. Some locations are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which frequently prevent or affect extensions. You should check these issues with a surveyor prior to committing yourself to a purchase.
Can you help - my lawyer says that absentee landlord insurance is required on my purchase. What is the typical level of cover needed for conveyancing in Millom?
The right level of absentee landlord indemnity insurance should be dictated by who your lender. It would differ for example between Halifax and Norwich and Peterborough Building Society. Conveyancing solicitors as opposed to borrowers take out such policies.
We previously instructed solicitors locally in Millom on the Nationwide solicitor panel. They have just invoiced me a supplemental fee for dealing with the Nationwide mortgage. Is this a supplemental conveyancing fee set by Nationwide?
Unfortunately, as long as it is in their Terms and Conditions or estimate then yes your solicitor may charge a fee for this. The fee is not set by Nationwide but by your Millom property lawyer. Some firms on the Nationwide panel will levy ’dealing with mortgage’ fee and others do not.
My wife and I are downsizing from our house in Millom and the buyers lawyers are claiming that there is a possibility that the property was built on contaminated land. A local conveyancer would know that there is no such problem. It does beg the question why the buyers are using a nationwide conveyancing firm rather than a conveyancing solicitor in Millom. We have lived in Millom for 4 years we know of no issue. Do we get in touch with our local Authority to obtain clarification that the buyers are looking for.
It sounds as though you may have a conveyancing solicitor already. What do they say? You must enquire of 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 illness)
I am buying my first flat in Millom with a mortgage from The Royal Bank of Scotland. The sellers would not move on the amount so I negotiated £7000 of fixtures and fittings instead. The property agent advised me not inform my conveyancer about the extras as it would affect my loan with the lender. Do I keep my lawyer in the dark?.
All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the builder of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.
Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.
Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.
Am I right to be concerned that estate agents that I am dealing with are encouraging me to use a national conveyancing firm as opposed to a local Millom conveyancing company?
As with lots of service providers, often recommendations from family and friends can be worth their weight in gold. Yet there are numerous players in a conveyancing matter; estate agents, mortgage brokers and banks might all suggest solicitors to appoint. On occasion the lawyers might be known to one of the organisations as experts in their field, but sometimes there may be a financial incentive behind the recommendation. You have the discretion to select your preferred lawyer. However, bear in mind that most mortgage providers operate an approved list of conveyancers you must use for the mortgage aspect of your house move.
Last October I purchased a leasehold flat in Millom. Am I liable to pay service charges for periods before my ownership?
Where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous lessee 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. A critical element of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to be sure 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).
Millom Leasehold Conveyancing - A selection of Questions you should consider Prior to Purchasing
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Generally speaking the outlay for major works are not included within maintenance charges, although some managing agents in Millom ask leasehold owners to contribute towards a sinking fund created for the specific purpose of establishing a fund for larger works. Who are the managing agents? How many of the leaseholders are in arrears for their service charge payments?