I am looking for value for money property lawyer. Do I opt for a nationwide conveyancer as opposed to a family Mortimer conveyancing solicitor?
Generally conveyancing practitioners in your area will benefit from good relationships with your local authority, which could assist with the Mortimer conveyancing searches that your lawyer will require. It can only be a plus if they have strong rapport with the Land Registry covering your area Mortimer, other property lawyers in the area and Mortimer Estate Agents.
My property lawyer in Mortimer has never been on on the Skipton Building Society Conveyancing Panel. Can I still use my family solicitor notwithstanding that they are excluded from the Skipton Building Society panel of approved conveyancing solicitors?
The limited options available to you here include:
- Carry on with your existing Mortimer solicitors but Skipton Building Society will need to use a lawyer on their panel. This will result in additional overall legal charges and result in delays.
- Find an alternative practitioner to to deal with the purchase, obviously checking they are on the Skipton Building Society panel
This question may be naive but I am unexperienced as FTB of a two bedroom flat in Mortimer. Do I pick up the keys to the premises on completion from my solicitor? If so, I will use a local conveyancing solicitor in Mortimer?
On the day of completion you do not need to attend the conveyancers office in Mortimer. Your solicitors will electronically transfer the purchase money to the owner’s solicitors, and once they have received this, you should be invited to pick up the keys from the property Agents and move into your new home. Usually this happens early afternoon.
We were going to get a OIP from Skipton this week so we know how much we could potentially offer as otherwise we are dependent on web based calculators (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do Skipton recommend any Mortimer solicitors on the Skipton conveyancing panel, or is it better to go independently?
You will need to appoint Mortimer solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the Skipton conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and Skipton through the process.
I have instructed a Mortimer conveyancer having checked that they are on the TSB conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?
TSB will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually TSB 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 conveyancer 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 Mortimer postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with TSB, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Mortimer.
I bought my apartment on 8 May and the transaction details are still not on the land registry website. Need I be worried? My conveyancing solicitor in Mortimer said it would be registered inside ten days. Are titles in Mortimer particularly slow to register?
There is nothing unique about conveyancing in Mortimer registration formalities. Rather than based on location, timeframes can differ depending on the party submitting the application, whether it is in order and if the Land registry communicate with any 3rd parties. As of today roughly 80% of submission are completed in less than three weeks but occasionally there can be longer delays. Historically registration occurs after the new owner has moved in to the premises thus post completion formalities is not typically top priority yet where there is a degree of urgency associated with the registration then you or your solicitor could communicate with the Registry to express the reasoning for the application to be prioritised.
How does conveyancing in Mortimer differ for new build properties?
Most buyers of new build or newly converted property in Mortimer contact us having been asked by the builder to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the property is finished. This is because builders in Mortimer tend to purchase the real estate, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct conveyancing solicitors as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are used to new build conveyancing in Mortimer or who has acted in the same development.
I decided to have a survey carried out on a house in Mortimer before retaining conveyancers. I have been told that there is a flying freehold element to the house. My surveyor has said that some mortgage companies tend not give a mortgage on a flying freehold house.
It varies from the lender to lender. Lloyds has different instructions from Halifax. Should you wish to telephone us we can check with the relevant lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Mortimer. Conveyancing may be slightly more expensive based on your lender's requirements.