My partner and I are hoping to acquire a home in Norbiton and have appointed a Norbiton conveyancing practice. Within the past 48 hours our solicitor has forwarded the sale agreement to be signed with a detailed report with the expectation that exchange is imminent. Bank of Ireland have this evening contacted us to advise us that there is now an issue as our Norbiton solicitor is not on their approved list of lawyers. What do we do from here?
When purchasing a property with the benefit of a mortgage it is normal for the purchasers' solicitors to also act for the purchaser's lender. In order to act for a bank or building society a law firm has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the law firm to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the firm has to satisfy and indeed some lenders now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme. Your property lawyer should contact your lender 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 the bank's conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own Norbiton solicitors, in which case it will likely add costs, and it may delay matters as you have another set of people involved.
My wife and I have recently appointed a conveyancing solicitor in Norbiton. I need to find out if they are on the Skipton Building Society approved list of lawyers. Can you advise?
The first thing you should do is call the conveyancer and enquire if they can act for the lender. Alternatively please call Skipton Building Society who may be able to help.
My friend recommended that if I am buying in Norbiton I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?
This is a search is occasionally included in the estimate for your Norbiton conveyancing searches. It is a large document of about 40 pages, listing and detailing important information about Norbiton around the property and the people living there. It incorporates an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the Norbiton Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the demographics of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average Property Price, Crime statistics, Local Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data regarding Norbiton.
How does conveyancing in Norbiton differ for newly converted properties?
Most buyers of new build property in Norbiton approach us having been asked by the housebuilder to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the premises is finished. This is because house builders in Norbiton usually purchase the land, 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 property lawyers 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 Norbiton or who has acted in the same development.
What does commercial conveyancing in Norbiton cover?
Non domestic conveyancing in Norbiton incorporates a broad array of guidance, offered by regulated solicitors, relating to business property. For instance, this type of conveyancing can cover the sale or purchase of freehold business premises or, more usually, the transfer of existing business tenancies or the drafting of new leasing arrangements. Commercial conveyancing solicitors can also offer advice on the sale of business assets, commercial loans and the termination of leases.
I've recently bought a leasehold flat in Norbiton. Am I liable to pay service charges relating to a period prior to my ownership?
In a situation 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. It is an essential part 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).
After years of negotiations we cannot agree with our landlord on how much the lease extension should cost for our flat in Norbiton. Can we issue an application to the Residential Property Tribunal Service?
Absolutely. We can put you in touch with a Norbiton conveyancing firm who can help.
An example of a Lease Extension decision for a Norbiton flat is Flat D 15 Claremont Gardens in September 2013. TheTribunal determined in accordance with section48 and Schedule13 of the Leasehold Reform,Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 that the premium for the extended lease should be fourteen thousand one hundred and eighty seven pounds (£14,187.00) This case related to 1 flat.