My wife and I are purchasing a house in Patcham. I might seem paranoid but how we can trust a solicitor? At some point we have to put funds into their account. What is the protection we have from them run away with our money?
Be assured that all money in a Solicitors client account is 100% safe, and even if your Solicitor ran off with it, the Law Society would reimburse you fully.
My aunt pointed out to me me that in buying a property in Patcham there may be various restrictions limiting what one can do in terms of external changes to the property. Is this right?
There are a number of properties in Patcham which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to carry out external variations. Part of the conveyancing in Patcham should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.
I am the only recipient of my late grandmother’s estate with all property in now in my sole name, including the house in Patcham. Conveyancing formalities meant that the Land Registry date was in December. I now wish to sell up. I understand that there is a CML six month 'rule', meaning my proprietorship could be regarded the same way as though I had purchased the property in December. Is the property unsalable for six months?
The CML handbook mandates solicitors to: "report to us immediately if the owner or registered proprietor has been registered for less than six months." Technically you could be caught by that. Some banks would take a practical view as this obligation primarily exists to pick up on the purchase and immediately sell or the quick reselling of property.
My colleague recommended that if I am buying in Patcham I should ask my conveyancer to carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. What does it cover?
This is a search is occasionally quoted for as part of the standard Patcham conveyancing searches. It is a large report of about 40 pages, listing and detailing significant information about Patcham around the property and the people living there. It incorporates an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the local Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the type of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average Property Price, Crime statistics, Local Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful information about Patcham.
I used Stirling Law several years ago for my conveyancing in Patcham. I now require my papers but the law firm has closed. What do I do?
Do contact the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to assist in tracking down your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Patcham of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously retained, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.
How does conveyancing in Patcham differ for newly converted properties?
Most buyers of new build or newly converted property in Patcham approach us having been asked by the developer to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the residence is constructed. This is because house builders in Patcham tend to purchase the land, 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 conveyancing solicitors 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 used to new build conveyancing in Patcham or who has acted in the same development.
Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold element on a house I put an offer in two weeks back in what should have been a simple, chain free conveyancing. Patcham is where the house is located. Can you shed any light on this issue?
Flying freeholds in Patcham are rare but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside Patcham you would need to get your solicitor to go through the deeds very carefully. Your mortgage company may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Patcham may ascertain that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold property.
My husband and I are FTB’s - agreed a price, but the estate agent advised that the seller will only move forward if we appoint their recommended lawyers as they are insisting on a ‘quick sale’. We would rather use a local conveyancer with experience of conveyancing in Patcham
We suspect that the seller is unaware of this demand. Should the vendor desire ‘a quick sale', turning down a genuine buyer is counter productive. Avoid the agents and go straight to the owners and make sure they understand (a)you are genuine purchasers (b)you are ready to progress, with finances in place © you do not need to sell (d) you wish to move quickly (e)however you will continue to use your preferred Patcham conveyancing solicitors - not the ones that will earn their negotiator at the agency a introducer fee or hit his conveyancing targets set by senior management.