I am need of leasehold conveyancing for a flat in a relatively new development (five years old) in Minehead. 95% of the flats have already been occupied. Is it really necessary to order neighbourhood searches as part of conveyancing in Minehead?
You would be opening yourself up to an unnecessary risk in refusing to carrying out Minehead conveyancing searches. Without searches you have no clarity over flooding, environmental etc which may mean you walk away due to potential problems down the line. If you are buying without a mortgage there is no legal necessity to have them, but we would strongly advise in no uncertain terms that your conveyancer conducts them. If speed and expenses are primary concerns you should consider with your solicitor about the options such as indemnity insurance available to you
I just acquired a flat at auction in Minehead. Conveyancing is needed. What is next?
Given that you have now to in every practical sense signed on the dotted line you now have to hire the services of a conveyancing solicitor quickly as you are faced with a tight a fixed date to complete the conveyancing. Every auction property should have an associated legal set of papers. This will include most,if not all of the paperwork that your conveyancer will need. If you have purchased leasehold premises the conveyancing pack should provide a copy of the lease, management information and a sellers leasehold information form and other conveyancing paperwork specific to a leasehold property. You must pass this on to your appointed conveyancing solicitor as soon as possible. Do make sure that your finances are in order to complete the transaction on the set completion date.
My uncle advised me that in purchasing a property in Minehead there could be a number of restrictions limiting what one can do in terms of external alterations to a property. Is this right?
We are aware of anumerous of properties in Minehead which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to carry out external changes. Part of the conveyancing in Minehead should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.
The formalities of my remortgage has taken place for my property in Minehead. Conveyancing was a necessary evil but I feel I should register my dissatisfaction about the lender. How do I make a complaint?
All banks and building societies have complaints procedures. Your first point of contact should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Care Team at head office. Ordinarily complaints to a lender are sorted out very quickly. If you feel the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service, South Quay Plaza, 183 Marsh Wall, London E14 9SR who will take matters further.
My wife and I own a semi-detached Edwardian house in Minehead. Conveyancing solicitor represented me and Nottingham Building Society. I did a free Land Registry search last week and there are two entries: the first freehold, the second leasehold with the matching property. If a house is not a freehold shouldn't I have been informed?
You should assess the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Minehead and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they remortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with mortgage companies. You can also enquire as to the situation with your conveyancing lawyer who conducted the conveyancing.
I have been on the look out for a ground for flat up to £195,000 and found one round the corner in Minehead I like with open areas and transport links in the vicinity, however it only has 49 remaining years left on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Minehead for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake purchasing a lease with such few years left?
Should you require a mortgage that many years will be an issue. Discount the price by the anticipated lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the current owner has owned the property for at least 2 years you can request that they commence the lease extension formalities and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease term with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing lawyer concerning this.
I am thinking of appointing a conveyancing solicitor in Minehead for my house move. Can I see a firm’s complaints history with the legal regulator?
Anyone may review presented Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) determinations stemming from investigations from 2008 onwards. Visit Check a solicitor's record. For details Pre 2008, or to check a firm's history, telephone 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 any week day save for Tuesday when lines open at 9.30am. For callers outside the UK, dial +44 (0)121 329 6800. The SRA could monitor call for training purposes.
My husband and I are purchasing a 2 bedroom flat in Minehead. When we first instructed property lawyer, they told us that they were on all mainstream mortgage company panels. Our mortgage broker called yesterday to advise that they don't appear to be on the Coventry BS approved list. Should that be true, what should we do? Do we simply find a different solicitor that is on their approved list or should we cover the costs for dual representation, with Coventry BS selecting their own approved property lawyer.
Where you are buying a property with the assistance of a mortgage it is standard for the purchaser’s lawyers to also act for the mortgage company. In order to act for a bank or building society a solicitor has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the lawyer to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict conditions which the solicitor has to fulfill. Some building societies now insist their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme. Your lawyer should contact Coventry BS 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 Coventry BS's conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own Minehead solicitors, in which case it will likely add costs, and it will likely delay the transaction as you are adding another property lawyer into the mix.