It is 10 years ago since I purchased my home in Much Hadham. Conveyancing lawyers have now been instructed on the sale but I can't track down my deeds. Is this a major issue?
Don’t worry too much. Firstly there is a possibility that the deeds will be with the mortgage company or they may be in the possession of the lawyers who acted in the purchase. Secondly in most cases the title will be recorded at the land registry and you will be able to establish that you are the registered owner by your conveyancing lawyers acquiring up to date copy of the land registers. Most conveyancing in Much Hadham relates to registered property but in the unlikely event that your home is unregistered it is more problematic but is resolvable.
I just bought a flat at auction in Much Hadham. Conveyancing is needed. What are my next steps?
Now that you have legally committed yourself to purchase you should retain a conveyancing solicitor as a matter of priority as you are facing a pending a drop dead date to complete the conveyancing. All auction property will have a corresponding legal pack. This will include most,if not all of the documents that your conveyancer will need. Where you are dealing with leasehold premises the auction pack may 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 give this to the conveyancer working for you ASAP. Do make sure that your finances are in order to complete the transaction on the set completion date.
I am currently in the process of buying my council flat in Much Hadham. I have a mortgage agreed with Lloyds. Conveyancing is not something I have any knowledge of. 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 Lloyds, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Lloyds conveyancing panel.
I've digested plenty of mortgage guides, I note that it is considered advisable to get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Much Hadham solicitor - who is on the Nottingham conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. Is that normal?
Nottingham will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Nottingham 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 Much Hadham postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Nottingham, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Much Hadham.
Will my conveyancer be raising enquiries about flooding during the conveyancing in Much Hadham.
The risk of flooding is if increasing concern for lawyers dealing with homes in Much Hadham. Some people will purchase a house in Much Hadham, fully aware that at some time, it may be flooded. However, leaving to one side the physical damage, if a property is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to get a mortgage, adequate insurance cover, or sell the premises. Steps can be carried out during the course of a property purchase to forewarn the buyer.
Conveyancers are not best placed to give advice on flood risk, but there are a numerous checks that can be undertaken by the purchaser or on a buyer’s behalf which will give them a better understanding of the risks in Much Hadham. The conventional set of completed inquiry forms supplied to a purchaser’s solicitor (where the Conveyancing Protocol is adopted) includes a usual question of the vendor to determine if the premises has historically flooded. In the event that flooding has previously occurred and is not revealed by the seller, then a purchaser could bring a compensation claim as a result of such an inaccurate reply. The buyer’s solicitors should also conduct an enviro report. This will reveal whether there is a recorded flood risk. If so, further inquiries should be initiated.
I bought my house on 9 November and the transaction details is not yet on the land registry website. Should I be concerned? My conveyancing solicitor in Much Hadham advises it should be concluded inside ten days. Are properties in Much Hadham uniquely lengthy to register?
As far as conveyancing in Much Hadham registration is no faster or slower than the rest of England and Wales. Rather than based on location, timeframes can vary according to who lodges the application, whether it is in order and whether the Land registry must send notices to any other persons or bodies. As of today roughly 80% of such applications are fully dealt with within 12 days but occasionally there can be extensive delays. Historically registration takes place once the new owner has moved in to the premises thus registration formalities is not always top priority but where there is a degree of urgency associated with the registration then you or your conveyancer should communicate with the Registry to express the reasoning for an expedited registration.
I opted to have a survey carried out on a property in Much Hadham prior to retaining conveyancers. I have been told that there is a flying freehold overhang to the property. My surveyor has said that some mortgage companies tend not grant a mortgage on such a house.
It depends who your proposed lender is. Lloyds has different requirements for example to Halifax. If you e-mail us we can check with the appropriate lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Much Hadham. Conveyancing may be slightly more expensive based on your lender's requirements.
Is it best to go with a Much Hadham conveyancing practitioner based in the vicinity that I am buying? An old friend can handle the conveyancing but his firm is located over three hundred kilometers drive away.
The primary upside of using a high street Much Hadham conveyancing firm is that you can drop in to execute documents, present your ID and pester them where appropriate. Having local Much Hadham know how is a benefit. That being said nothing is more important than finding someone that will pull out all the stops for you. If other friends have used your friend and in the main were impressed that must outweigh using an unknown Much Hadham conveyancing lawyer solely due to them being Much Hadham based.