I was informed recently by my IFA that my Old St Mellons property lawyer is not on the mortgage company Conveyancing panel. How can I be sure whether this is correct?
You need to call your Old St Mellons lawyer directly. It is reasonable to expect your lawyer to inform you of the situation. Where they are not on the panel they could put your in touch with solicitors on the approved list of lawyers for your bank.
I purchased a freehold premises in Old St Mellons yet invoiced for rent, why is this and what is this?
It is rare for properties in Old St Mellons and has limited impact for conveyancing in Old St Mellons but some freehold properties in England (particularly common in North West England) pay an annual sum known as a Chief Rent or a Rentcharge to a third party who has no other legal interest in the land.
Rentcharge payments are usually between £2.00 and £5.00 per year. Rentcharges have existed for many centuries, but the Rent Charge Act 1977 barred the establishment of fresh rentcharges post 1977.
Old rentcharges can now be extinguished by making a lump sum payment under the Act. Any rentcharges that are still in existence in 2037 will be dispensed with completely.
I just acquired a flat at auction in Old St Mellons. Conveyancing is necessary. What is next?
Given that you are now for in every practical sense signed on the dotted line you now have to choose a conveyancing lawyer as a matter of urgency as you now have a pending deadline in which to complete the deal. An auction property will have a bespoke auction pack. This will include evidence of title and search results. Where you are dealing with leasehold property the conveyancing papers should contain a copy of the lease, management information and a sellers leasehold information form and associated conveyancing documentation relating to leasehold premises. You must give this to the solicitor working for you at the earliest opportunity. Do make sure that your finances are organised to complete the transaction on the set completion date.
My wife and I buying a detached bungalow in Old St Mellons. We would like to carry out a loft conversion at the house.Will legal due diligence on the property involve enquiries to determine if these works are allowed?
Your conveyancer should check the deeds as conveyancing in Old St Mellons will sometimes identify restrictions in the title documents which prevent certain changes or necessitated the permission of a 3rd party. Certain additions require local authority planning permissions and approval under the building regulations. Many areas are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which often prevent or affect extensions. It would be prudent to check these things with a surveyor prior to committing yourself to a purchase.
The formalities of my purchase has taken place for my property in Old St Mellons. Conveyancing was satisfactory but I would like to complain about the lender. How do I make a complaint?
All banks and building societies have complaints procedures. Your first point of contact should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Care Department at head office. In most cases complaints to a lender are resolved effectively and efficiently. However if you are not satisfied that the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service with full details of your complaint.
Will our conveyancer be asking questions regarding flooding during the conveyancing in Old St Mellons.
Flooding is a growing risk for lawyers conducting conveyancing in Old St Mellons. Some people will purchase a property in Old St Mellons, completely expectant that at some time, it may suffer from flooding. However, aside from the physical damage, if a house is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to obtain a mortgage, suitable building insurance, or sell the premises. Steps can be carried out during the course of a property purchase to forewarn the buyer.
Lawyers are not qualified to offer advice on flood risk, but there are a number of searches that can be carried out by the buyer or by their conveyancers which should give them a better understanding of the risks in Old St Mellons. The conventional set of completed inquiry forms sent to a purchaser’s solicitor (where the Conveyancing Protocol is adopted) includes a usual question of the owner to determine whether the premises has historically flooded. In the event that the residence has been flooded in past which is not notified by the owner, then a buyer may bring a claim for damages stemming from an incorrect reply. The purchaser’s solicitors should also carry out an enviro search. This will disclose if there is a recorded flood risk. If so, more detailed inquiries will need to be carried out.
I need to instruct a conveyancing lawyer in Old St Mellons for my house move. Is it possible to review a firm’s complaints history with the profession’s regulator?
You can search for documented Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) decisions stemming from investigations commenced on or after Jan 2008. Go to Check a solicitor's record. For records about the period before 1 January 2008, or to check a solicitors history, call 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and 09.30 - 18.00 Tuesday. For non-uk callers, dial +44 (0)121 329 6800. The SRA may recorded call for training purposes.
I've recently bought a leasehold property in Old St Mellons. Do I have any liability for service charges relating to a period prior to my ownership?
Where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous owner 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. A critical element 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).
Leasehold Conveyancing in Old St Mellons - Examples of Queries Prior to Purchasing
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Plenty Old St Mellons leasehold flats will have a service bill for maintenance of the building levied by the management company. If you buy the apartment you will have to pay this liability, usually in instalments accross the year. This may vary from several hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for large purpose-built buildings. There will also be a ground rent to be met annual, this is usually not a exorbitant figure, say around £50-£100 but you need to check it because on occasion it could be many hundreds of pounds. How much is the ground rent and service charge? In the main the cost for major works tend not to be included within service charges, although there some managing agents in Old St Mellons ask leaseholders to pay into a sinking fund created for the specific purpose of building a fund for larger repairs or maintenance.