Me and my wife are buying property in Page Green. My property lawyer has never been on on the mortgage company conveyancing list. Is it possible for me to appoint my Page Green conveyancing solicitor notwithstanding that they are not on the mortgage company list of approved lawyers?
Various options include
- Carry on with your existing Page Green lawyer but your mortgage company will need to retain a property lawyer from their approved list. The net result is additional cost and potential delay.
- Choose a fresh solicitor to conduct the conveyancing, obviously checking they are on the mortgage company conveyancing panel.
- Appeal to your property lawyer to attempt to join the bank panel
We are buying a victorian detached house in Page Green. We would like to carry out a loft conversion at the house.Will the conveyancing process involve checks to ascertain if these alterations were previously refused?
Your conveyancer should review the deeds as conveyancing in Page Green can occasionally reveal restrictions in the title documents which prohibit categories of alterations or need the consent of another owner. Certain works need local authority planning permissions and approval in accordance building regulations. Many locations are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which frequently prevent or affect extensions. You should check these issues with a surveyor ahead of any purchase.
Last month we had a mortgage agreed in principle with HSBC. Page Green conveyancing solicitors were selected. How long does it take for HSBC to issue the offer to the conveyancer?
Some lenders take longer than others. Have HSBC conducted the valuation? Have you advised HSBC as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the HSBC conveyancing panel? Sometimes it can take as long as six weeks for a mortgage offer to be issued.
We have agreed to purchase a house in Page Green. An unusual aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Solicitors conducting should look into this right? Will my lender Virgin Money be concerned?
As your lender is Virgin Money your lawyer must check the formal requirements outlined in Section two of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Virgin Money. The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook sets out minimum requirements for solar panel roof-space leases, and lawyers are required to report to Virgin Money where a lease fails to comply with these conditions. The conditions relate to the installation of panels on properties in England and Wales and is not restricted to Page Green.
Should our conveyancer be asking questions about flooding during the conveyancing in Page Green.
Flooding is a growing risk for lawyers specialising in conveyancing in Page Green. Some people will buy a house in Page Green, completely expectant that at some time, it may suffer from flooding. However, leaving to one side the physical damage, if a house is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to get a mortgage, adequate insurance cover, or sell the property. There are steps that can be taken as part of the conveyancing process to forewarn the buyer.
Solicitors are not qualified to give advice on flood risk, but there are a number of searches that may be carried out by the buyer or by their lawyers which will figure out the risks in Page Green. The conventional set of information given to a buyer’s conveyancer (where the Conveyancing Protocol is adopted) includes a standard question of the seller to find out whether the premises has ever been flooded. If flooding has previously occurred which is not notified by the seller, then a buyer could bring a claim for damages as a result of such an misleading reply. The buyer’s solicitors should also order an environmental search. This will disclose if there is any known flood risk. If so, more detailed inquiries should be conducted.
I have been on the look out for a leasehold apartment up to £305k and identified one round the corner in Page Green I like with a park and railway links nearby, however it only has 61 remaining years left on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Page Green suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake purchasing a lease with such few years left?
Should you require a home loan the shortness of the lease will likely be problematic. Discount the offer by the expected lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing owner has owned the property for at least twenty four months you could ask them to start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should speak to your conveyancing solicitor regarding this matter.
My uncle has encouraged me to use his conveyancers in Page Green. Should I use them?
There are no two ways about it it’s preferable to select a conveyancing solicitor is to seek recommendations from friends or relatives who have experience in using the firm you're contemplating using.
My lawyer in Page Green has informed me that he requires identification documents asserting that this forms part of his legal duty as a conveyancer on the mortgage company Solicitor panel. This is news to me - can I refuse?
Due to Money Laundering Regulations your conveyancing lawyer is duty bound to confirm positively your identification when entering into a business relationship with you. It is a criminal offence if your lawyer not do this. If you do not provide ID early in the transaction the solicitor must refuse to act for you. It’s unlikely a lawyer will turn you away if you come to the first meeting without relevant ID but you will have to produce it at some point so you might as well bring it with you to the initial meeting so the lawyer can tick the ID verification box and start sorting out the conveyancing straight away. If you are getting a mortgage, your lawyer also has to check ID documents to satisfy the bank. This is not unique to conveyancing in Page Green