We have rather assertive vendors who has recommended a exclusivity contract with a payment of 5k. Are such agreements sensible?
Exclusivity agreements are agreements binding a home vendor and purchaser granting the buyer exclusive rights to purchase the premises within a prescribed time frame. For all intents and purposes, a lock out is a document stating that you will have a contract at a later date being the contract for the actual sale. It tends to be utilised for buyer protection though in many situations, the proprietor may enjoy an upside from such agreements as well. There are various positives and negatives to using an agreement but you need to check with your solicitor but note that it may result in incurring more in conveyancing charges. In light of these reasons these agreements are rare in relation to conveyancing in Orpington.
Should lawyers request money up-front for my conveyancing in Orpington?
If you are buying a property in Orpington your lawyer will ask you place them with funds to cover the the cost of the conveyancing searches. This will be the total of the cost of the conveyancing searches. When the deposit is as part of the total price then this will be asked for immediately before contracts are exchanged. The final balance that is due should be sent to your lawyer a few days ahead of the completion date.
My Conveyancer in Orpington is not on the Skipton Building Society Solicitor Panel. Can I still retain my family solicitor notwithstanding that they are not on the Skipton Building Society panel of approved conveyancing solicitors?
The limited options open to you here include:
- Complete the purchase with your existing Orpington lawyers but Skipton Building Society will need to use a lawyer on their list of acceptable firms. This will inevitably rack up the total conveyancing charges as well as cause delays.
- Choose an alternative solicitor to act in the purchase, obviously checking they are on the Skipton Building Society panel
A friend advised me that in purchasing a property in Orpington there could be a number of restrictions affecting the ability to carry out external alterations to the property. Is this right?
There are anumerous of properties in Orpington which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to perform external alterations. Part of the conveyancing in Orpington should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.
We are buying a 4 bedroom semi-detached house in Orpington. The intention is to carry out an extension to the side at the house.Will the conveyancing process involve investigations to ascertain if these works are allowed?
Your solicitor will review the registered title as conveyancing in Orpington can sometimes reveal restrictions in the title deeds which prohibit certain works or necessitated the consent of a 3rd party. Certain additions call for local authority planning permissions and approval in compliance with building regulations. Some areas are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which frequently prevent or affect extensions. It would be sensible to check these things with a surveyor ahead of any purchase.
Our offer on a detached house in Orpington has been agreed to, but there is a chain. The owners have put an offer on a flat, however it’s not yet tied up, and have viewings of other apartments booked. I have chosen a local conveyancing solicitor in Orpington. What should be my next step? When do I get the mortgage application with TSB started?
It is understandable to have anxieties where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to incur expenses prematurely (mortgage application is approx £1k, then valuation, Orpington conveyancing search costs, etc). First, you must ensure that your conveyancing practitioner is on the TSB conveyancing panel. Concerning the subsequent stages this very much depends on the specifics of your case, attraction to the property and on the state of the market. In a buoyant market the majority of purchasers would apply for the mortgage with TSB and pay for the valuation and only if it comes back ok would they request their solicitor to proceed with the conveyancing in Orpington.
Will our solicitor be raising questions concerning flooding during the conveyancing in Orpington.
The risk of flooding is if increasing concern for lawyers dealing with homes in Orpington. Some people will acquire a property in Orpington, completely aware that at some time, it may be flooded. However, leaving to one side the physical destruction, where a property is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to obtain a mortgage, suitable building insurance, or dispose of the premises. Steps can be carried out during the course of a house purchase to forewarn the purchaser.
Lawyers are not best placed to impart advice on flood risk, however there are a various checks that may be carried out by the purchaser or on a buyer’s behalf which can give them a better understanding of the risks in Orpington. The conventional set of property information forms sent to a buyer’s conveyancer (where the solicitors are adopting what is known as the Conveyancing Protocol) incorporates a usual question of the vendor to find out if the premises has historically flooded. If flooding has previously occurred which is not revealed by the owner, then a purchaser may bring a legal claim for losses as a result of such an misleading reply. The purchaser’s solicitors may also commission an environmental report. This will disclose whether there is a recorded flood risk. If so, additional investigations should be carried out.
My husband and I are FTB’s - had an offer accepted, yet the selling agent advised that the seller will only go ahead if we appoint the agent's chosen lawyers as they want a ‘quick sale’. My instinct tells me that we should use a family solicitor accustomed to conveyancing in Orpington
It is highly unlikely the owners are behind this. If they desire ‘a quick sale', taking such a hostile approach to a serious buyer is not the way to achieve this. Contact the owners directly and make the point that (a)you are keen to buy (b)you are excited to move forward, with finances arranged © you are chain free (d) you intend to proceed fast (e)but you will continue to instruct your preferred Orpington conveyancing lawyers - not the ones that will give the negotiator at the agency a introducer fee or hit his conveyancing thresholds demanded by HQ.