My fiance’s mother is a solicitor. I am hopeful that I will receive preferential rates for conveyancing, but if not, what kind of costs should I be paying for conveyancing in Oxford?
It’s prudent to look for 3 or more like-for-like conveyancing estimates. Make use of our comparison tool on this page. You will notice that fees do vary but service levels do are distinct between property lawyers as is true with the vast majority of professional services.
We are purchasing a newly constructed flat in Oxford and my lawyer is advising me that she is duty bound to the mortgage company to disclose incentives from the seller. I am on a tight deadline to sign contracts and I don't want to prolong the conveyancing. Is my lawyer right?
You should not exchange unless you have been advised to do so by your solicitor. A precondition to being on a mortgage company panel is to comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook provisions. The CML Conveyancing Handbook requires that your lawyer have the appropriate Disclosure of Incentive form completed by the developer and accepted by your lender.
We wanted to use a conveyancing solicitor in Oxford for our home move. Our financial adviser informed us that our bank TSB won't deal with them. Surely this is unfair competition?
Banks on the whole imposes restrictions either the type or the volume of conveyancing firms on their approved list of lawyers. Typical examples of such restriction(s) being that a firm must not be a sole practitioner. In addition to restricting the type of firm, some have reduced the amount of solicitor practices they allow to act for them. Be aware that TSB have no responsibility for the quality of advice provided by any member of TSB Conveyancer Panel. Mortgage fraud was a key driver in the reduction of solicitor panels a few years ago even though there are differing views concerning the extent of solicitor involvement in some of that fraud. Statistics from the Land Registry reveal that plenty of law firms, including some in or near Oxford only execute very few conveyances a year.
I purchased my home on 16 May and my personal details is not yet on the land registry website. Need I be worried? My conveyancing solicitor in Oxford advises it would be registered inside ten days. Are titles in Oxford uniquely lengthy to register?
As far as conveyancing in Oxford registration is no quicker or slower than anywhere else in England and Wales. As opposed to being determined by geographic area, timeframes can differ according to the party submitting the application, whether there are errors and if the Land registry need to notify any 3rd persons or bodies. At present roughly 80% of submission are fully dealt with within two weeks but some can be subject to protracted hold-ups. Historically registration occurs once the new owner has moved in to the property thus an expedited registration is not usually primary concern yet where there is a degree of urgency associated with the registration then you or your lawyers should communicate with the Registry to express the reasoning for an expedited registration.
Am I better off to choose a Oxford conveyancing practitioner in close proximity to the house I am buying? I have an old university friend who can conduct the legal work but her office is 400miles away.
The benefit of a local Oxford conveyancing practice is that you can drop in to sign paperwork, present your identification documents and pester them where appropriate. Having local Oxford know how is a bonus. That being said it's more important to get someone that will do a good and efficient job. If if people you trust instructed your friend and they were content that must trump using an unfamiliar Oxford conveyancing solicitor just because they are based in the area.
What are your top tips when it comes to choosing a Oxford conveyancing firm to deal with our lease extension?
If you are instructing a conveyancer for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Oxford conveyancing firm) it is most important that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We recommend that you speak with two or three firms including non Oxford conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. The following questions could be useful:
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What volume of lease extensions has the firm conducted in Oxford in the last 12 months? What are the legal fees for lease extension conveyancing?
Oxford Leasehold Conveyancing - Examples of Queries Prior to buying
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Does the lease include onerous restrictions? The answer will be important as a) areas may result in problems for the block as the communal areas may start to deteriorate if repairs remain unpaid b) if the leasehold owners have an issue with the running of the building you will need to have all the details Many Oxford leasehold properties will be liable to pay a service charge for the upkeep of the block invoiced by the landlord. If you purchase the apartment you will have to meet this liability, normally periodically accross the year. This could vary from two or three hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for blocks with lifts and large communal grounds. There will also be a rentcharge to be met yearly, ordinarily this is not a significant figure, say approximately £25-£75 but you need to enquire as occasionally it could be prohibitively expensive.