The vendors of the house we are looking to purchase have instructed a conveyancing firm in Norbury who has insisted on a lock out contract with a deposit two thousand pounds. Are such agreements promoted for Norbury conveyancing transactions?
There are two main downsides with entering into any lock out contract (occasionally termed an exclusivity agreement) is that it diverts attention away from progressing with the conveyancing transaction itself, so unless it requires minimal or no negotiation then it may turn out to be unhelpful. It is not particularly popular amongst Norbury conveyancing solicitors as a result. A supplemental concern is the extent of the remedies available - an aggrieved buyer should not expect to be issued with injunctive relief to prohibit the seller disposing of the property to an alternative purchaser, so the only remedy available under the agreement will be the recovery of abortive costs and, in restricted situations, the extra payment of damages.
We are looking to buy a house and need a conveyancing solicitor in Norbury who is on the RBS solicitor panel. Could you point me in the right direction as regards a firm?
Our service is limited to being a directory service for firms who wish to be listed as being on the approved conveyancing panel for RBS . We don't recommend any particular firms conducting conveyancing in Norbury.
My uncle pointed out to me me that in buying a property in Norbury there could be various restrictions limiting what one can do in terms of external changes to a property. Is this right?
We are aware of a number of properties in Norbury which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to carry out external variations. Part of the conveyancing in Norbury should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.
I have today made my last payment due on my mortgage with UBS. I assume I don't need a Norbury conveyancer on the UBS panel to remove the mortgage at the Land Registry. Please confirm.
If you have finished paying off your UBS mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the UBS mortgage from the register. UBS, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:
- but are not moving to another property
- where UBS has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
- UBS has instructed the Land Registry to do so
Having digested plenty of house buying guides, I note that they all recommend that you should get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Norbury 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 solicitor 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 Norbury postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Nottingham, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Norbury.
My wife and I purchased a terraced Georgian property in Norbury. Conveyancing practitioner acted for me and TSB. I did a free Land Registry search last week and I saw two entries: one for freehold, another for leasehold under the matching property. I thought I was buying a freehold how can I check?
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 Norbury and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they buy they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with mortgage companies. You can also question the situation with the conveyancing practitioner who conducted the conveyancing.
How does conveyancing in Norbury differ for newly converted properties?
Most buyers of new build property in Norbury contact us having been asked by the builder to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the premises is finished. This is because builders in Norbury typically purchase the site, 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 Norbury or who has acted in the same development.
I am looking for a conveyancing practitioner in Norbury for my house move. Can I check a firm’s record with the legal regulator?
One can read presented Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) decisions arising from investigations from 2008 onwards. Visit Check a solicitor's record. To find records about the period before 1 January 2008, or to check a firm's record, phone 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and 09.30 - 18.00 Tuesday. International callers, dial +44 (0)121 329 6800. The regulator could recorded call for training reasons.