My fiance and I are looking to purchase a house in Pembrokeshire and have instructed a Pembrokeshire conveyancing firm. Within the past 48 hours our solicitor has forwarded the sale agreement to be signed with a detailed report with the expectation that exchange is imminent. Santander have this morning contacted us to advise us that there is now an issue as our Pembrokeshire solicitor is not on their conveyancing panel. What do we do from here?
When purchasing a property with mortgage finance it is normal for the purchasers' lawyers to also act for the mortgage company. In order to act for a bank or building society a law firm has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the law firm to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the firm has to satisfy and indeed some lenders now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme. Your property lawyer should contact your bank and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own lawyers to represent them. You don't have to instruct a firm on the bank's conveyancing panel as you are at liberty to use your preferred Pembrokeshire lawyers, in which case your legal fees may increase, and it may delay matters as you are adding another lawyer into the mix.
It is a dozen years since I acquired my house in Pembrokeshire. Conveyancing solicitors have recently been retained on the sale but I am unable to locate the title documents. Is this a major issue?
You need not be too concerned. Firstly there is a chance that the deeds will be with your mortgage company or they may be in the possession of the lawyers who oversaw the purchase. Secondly in most cases the land will be registered at the land registry and you will be able to prove you are the registered owner by your conveyancing solicitors procuring current official copies of the land registers. Nearly all conveyancing in Pembrokeshire involves registered property but in the rare situation where your home is unregistered it adds to the complexity but is resolvable.
I'm remortgaging my existing home to a BTL mortgage with Clydesdale and I will use the ballance of the raised equity towards another house. The area we are looking at is Pembrokeshire. Will your solicitors be able to act for both sets of mortgage companies and link together the conveyances?
Make use of our comparison tool on this page to be sure that the conveyancers are approved by both mortgage companies. Having checked that they are your conveyancer will be able to connect the two deals but you should talk with you conveyancer and communicate your expectations and needs.
I am using a search engine for the phrase conveyancing in Pembrokeshire it brings up many conveyancerslocally. How do I determine which is the suitable property lawyer for me?
The best way of choosing the right conveyancer is via personal referral, so enquire of friends and family who have purchased a property in Pembrokeshire or a local estate agent or financial adviser. Costs for conveyancing in Pembrokeshire differ, so it's advisable to secure a minimum of four quotes from different law firms. Be sure to obtain confirmation that the costs are guaranteed not to rise.
There are only 72 years remaining on my flat in Pembrokeshire. I need to get lease extension but my landlord is absent. What should I do?
On the basis that you meet the appropriate requirements, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the County Court for an order to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will enable the lease to be lengthened by the magistrate. However, you will be required to demonstrate that you have done all that could be expected to locate the landlord. On the whole an enquiry agent may be useful to conduct investigations and to produce an expert document which can be used as proof that the freeholder is indeed missing. It is wise to seek advice from a solicitor both on proving the landlord’s disappearance and the application to the County Court covering Pembrokeshire.
Leasehold Conveyancing in Pembrokeshire - Sample of Queries Prior to buying
-
Is anyone aware of any major works in the near future that will add a premium to the service charges? What is the yearly service fee and ground rent?
As a leasehold owner I am on the hook for a maintenance fee for my flat in Pembrokeshire. As a result of personal circumstances I slipped behind with remittance. The freeholders agreed a clearance schedule but there is still in the region of £3000 outstanding as of today.
I am under pressure to sell and I am worried this can hold me back if I have to pay off the amount due now. I'd like to sell up and subsequently discharge the debt from the completion monies - is this practicable?
Do speak with the conveyancer undertaking your Pembrokeshire conveyancing but one option could be to agree for the arrears to be passed to the buyers. The contractual price payable would be reduced to reflect the amount of debt they take on. They would then discharge the outstanding monies once they are the owners.