Do lawyers request money up-front for my conveyancing in Northumberland?
If you are buying a property in Northumberland your lawyer will ask you put them with funds to cover the search fees. Generally this is called for to cover the fees of the conveyancing searches. If any down payment is as part of the purchase price then this should be required immediately in advance of contracts are exchanged. The closing balance that is due should be sent to your lawyer shortly before completion.
I'm the single recipient of my late father’s estate with all property in now in my sole name, including the my former home in Northumberland. The Northumberland property was put into my name in August. I now wish to sell up. I understand that there is a CML 6 month 'rule', meaning my property ownership will be considered the same way as though I had purchased the house in August. Is the property unsalable for six months?
The CML handbook requires conveyancers to: "report to us immediately if the owner or registered proprietor has been registered for less than six months." By the strict wording you might be affected by that. Some banks would take a pragmatic view as this requirement is primarily there to identify subsales or the quick reselling of properties.
Are all Northumberland Conveyancing Quality Solicitors on the Aldermore conveyancing list of approved firms?
It is true that some banks and building societies now make use of CQS as the starting point for Panel approval such as HSBC and Santander. The Law Society’s CQS membership however is no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. Nevertheless,the CML have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for firms wishing to remain on their panels.
After months of negotiation I have agreed a price on an apartment in Northumberland. My financial adviser pressured me to appoint their property lawyer. I paid an upfront payment of £150. Shortly after, the lawyer contacted me to say that they were not on the Nottingham conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?
You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Nottingham panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.
I used Wolstenholmes several years past for my conveyancing in Northumberland. Now, I need my files however cannot find the solicitor. What do I do?
Do contact the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to help locate your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Northumberland of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously instructed, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.
Is there anything unique about your site and alternative online quote calculators for conveyancing in Northumberland?
At this site secure a fixed fee quote via a Solicitor or Licensed Conveyancer that has a full understanding of the nuances of your conveyancing in Northumberland. Unlike many estate agents and brokerage sites we do not have referral deals with solicitors. Some agents and online brokers 'recommend' the firm paying the highest commission, rather than the best value conveyancing in Northumberland
My father has urged me to instruct his lawyers for conveyancing in Northumberland. Do I follow his guidance?
Much as we are happy to recommend a Northumberland conveyancing lawyer the best way to find a conveyancing solicitor is to have guidance from friends or family who have actually experience in using the firm you're considering.
I am employed by a long established estate agency in Northumberland where we have witnessed a number of leasehold sales put at risk as a result of short leases. I have been given conflicting advice from local Northumberland conveyancing firms. Can you confirm whether the seller of a flat can start the lease extension formalities for the purchaser on completion of the sale?
As long as the seller has been the owner for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to commence the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. The benefit of this is that the buyer need not have to wait 2 years for a lease extension. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment has to be done prior to, or simultaneously with completion of the sale.
An alternative approach is to agree the lease extension with the freeholder either before or after the sale. If you are informally negotiating there are no rules and so you cannot insist on the landlord agreeing to grant an extension or transferring the benefit of an agreement to the purchaser.
I acquired a garden flat in Northumberland, conveyancing was carried out half a dozen years ago. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Corresponding flats in Northumberland with an extended lease are worth £191,000. The ground rent is £55 charged once a year. The lease finishes on 21st October 2078
With only 53 years left to run we estimate the price of your lease extension to span between £27,600 and £31,800 as well as plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.
The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to supply a more accurate figure without more detailed due diligence. You should not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be other concerns that need to be taken into account and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not take any other action placing reliance on this information without first getting professional advice.