My fiance and I are refinancing our apartment in Oxford with Skipton. We have a son 18 who lives with us. Our solicitor has asked us to disclose any adults other than ourselves who lives in the flat. The solicitor has now sent a form for our son to sign, waiving any legal rights in the event that the apartment is forfeited by the lender. I have two questions (1) Is this document specific to the Skipton conveyancing panel as he never had to sign this form when we remortgaged 3 years ago (2) Does our son by signing this extinguish his entitlement to inherit the property?
First, rest assured that your Skipton conveyancing panel solicitor is doing the right thing as it is established procedure for any occupier who is aged 17 or over to sign the necessary Consent Form, which is purely to state that any rights he has in the property are postponed and secondary to Skipton. This is solely used to protect Skipton if the property were re-possessed so that in such circumstances, your son would be legally obliged to leave. It does not impact your son’s right to inherit the apartment. Please note that if your son were to inherit and the mortgage in favour of Skipton had not been discharged, he would be liable to take over the loan or pay it off, but other than that, there is nothing stopping him from keeping the property in accordance with your will or the rules of intestacy.
Do the Building Society Association intend to launch a online directory to to identify practices on the Darlington Building Society conveyancing panel for instance in Oxford?
We have not been informed any intention on the part of the BSA to develop such a tool.
I am helping my sister sell her flat in Oxford. Will the conveyancing solicitor commission the energy performance certificate or should I organise this?
Following the abolition of Home Packs, EPC’s was retained a compulsory element of selling a property. An EPC needs to be commissioned prior to the property being advertised. This is not something that conveyancers normally organise. If you are instructing a Oxford conveyancing practitioner they may be willing to arrange EPC’s given their contacts with long established Oxford providers
I just acquired a flat at auction in Oxford. Conveyancing is necessary. What is next?
Given that you have now legally committed yourself to purchase you now have to retain a conveyancing lawyer as a matter of priority as you now have a tight a drop dead date to complete the transaction. All auction property will ordinarily have an associated legal pack. This should include most,if not all of the documents that your conveyancer requires. In the case of leasehold property the auction papers should contain a copy of the lease, management information and a sellers leasehold information form and associated conveyancing paperwork specific to a leasehold property. You need to give this to the conveyancer instructed by you as soon as possible. You also need to ensure that you have funds in place to complete on the on the contractual date .
I am currently in the process of buying my council flat in Oxford. I have a mortgage offer with Skipton. Conveyancing is not something I have any knowledge of. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should have one. Any advice?
It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with Skipton, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Skipton conveyancing panel.
How does conveyancing in Oxford differ for new build properties?
Most buyers of new build residence in Oxford come to us having been asked by the developer to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the premises is constructed. This is because builders in Oxford tend to purchase the real estate, 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 accustomed to new build conveyancing in Oxford or who has acted in the same development.
Harry (my fiance) and I may need to let out our Oxford basement flat for a while due to a new job. We instructed a Oxford conveyancing practice in 2001 but they have since shut and we did not think at the time seek any guidance as to whether the lease permits subletting. How do we find out?
Even though your previous Oxford conveyancing solicitor is not around you can check your lease to see if you are permitted to let out the apartment. The accepted inference is that if the lease is non-specific, subletting is allowed. Quite often there is a prerequisite that you need to obtain consent from your landlord or other appropriate person before subletting. The net result is that you cannot sublet in the absence of first obtaining permission. The consent should not be unreasonably turned down. If the lease prohibits you from subletting the property you should ask your landlord if they are willing to waive this restriction.
I invested in buying a 2 bed flat in Oxford, conveyancing formalities finalised half a dozen years ago. Can you give me give me an indication of the likely cost of a lease extension? Comparable flats in Oxford with over 90 years remaining are worth £186,000. The ground rent is £55 invoiced annually. The lease runs out on 21st October 2077
You have 52 years left to run we estimate the premium for your lease extension to range between £29,500 and £34,000 as well as legals.
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 comprehensive investigations. You should not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be additional issues that need to be taken into account and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not take any other action placing reliance on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.
Is it possible for you to recommend a conveyancer for buying a house? Ideally someone in Oxford, who will communicate via email - not someone who insists on slow mail or fax.
LenderPanel.com is limited to being a directory service for conveyancers who want to be listed as being on the approved conveyancing panel for Kent Reliance in certain areas for example Oxford . We dont recommend any particular solicitor.