The Pitstone conveyancing firm handling our Pitstone conveyancing has identified a discrepancy between the assumptions in the home valuation survey and what is revealed within the legal papers for the property. My lawyer informs me that he must check that the lender is happy with this discrepancy and is content to go ahead. Is my conveyancer’s course or action legitimate?
Your conveyancing practitioner must comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook requirements which do require that your lawyer disclose any incorrect assumptions in the lender’s valuation report and the legal papers. Should you refuse to allow your lawyer to make the appropriate notification then your lawyer will have no choice but to discontinue acting for you.
What is the difference between a licensed conveyancer and conveyancing solicitor in Pitstone
There are many recorded licenced Conveyancers in Pitstone and Solicitor partnerships in Pitstone who can help with your conveyancing It is important to make clear that both are supervised by regulatory bodies with both specialising in the legal aspects of transferring property. They may both also conduct associated property related work such as remortgage conveyancing, lease extensions and transfer of equity conveyancing.
We had chosen solicitors located in Pitstone on the Nationwide solicitor approved list. They are now charging me a separate amount for the legal aspects of the Nationwide mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee specified by Nationwide?
Provided it is contained in their Terms of Engagement or estimate then yes your conveyancer may charge a fee for this. This fee is not dictated by Nationwide but by your Pitstone property lawyer. Numerous firms on the Nationwide panel will quote ’dealing with mortgage’ fee but some practices include it on their overall fee.
My offer was accepted on a property in Pitstone on 15/5/2025, valuation was booked 2 days after, received a clean bill of health. Solicitor retained, so the only thing outstanding was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to HSBC and chasing them on my offer, I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the HSBC conveyancing panel. Are HSBC entitled to hold back the Mortgage pending the lawyer being on the approved list?
A lender would not issue a mortgage until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for HSBC to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the HSBC conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.
I opted to have a survey carried out on a property in Pitstone ahead of instructing conveyancers. I have been advised that there is a flying freehold overhang to the house. Our surveyor advised that some banks will not give a loan on this type of house.
It varies from the lender to lender. Bank of Scotland has different requirements from Halifax. Should you wish to telephone us we can check with the appropriate bank. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Pitstone. Conveyancing can be more complicated and therefore you should check with your conveyancing solicitor in Pitstone to see if the conveyancing will be more expensive.
Given that I will soon spend £400,000 on a garden flat in Pitstone I would like to talk to a conveyancer about myconveyancing ahead of appointing the firm. Can this be arranged?
This is something that we recommend - we would be pleased to talk to you we do not take any clients on without you speaking to the solicitor who will be conducting your conveyancing in Pitstone.There is no ‘factory style conveyancing’ - each client is an important person, not a file number. The practices that we put you in touch with believe that the figure you are quoted for your conveyancing in Pitstone should be the amount on the final invoice that you are charged.
Last December I purchased a leasehold house in Pitstone. Am I liable to pay service charges for periods before my ownership?
Where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous lessee and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. However, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. A critical element of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to ensure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.
If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).
Pitstone Leasehold Conveyancing - Examples of Queries Prior to buying
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What is the name of the managing agents? What restrictions are there in the Pitstone Lease? Is the freehold owned collectively by the leaseholders?
Our conveyancer in Pitstone has identified a a legal deficiency with the lease for the apartment we are purchasing in Pitstone. The other side have put forward defective title insurance as a workaround. We are content with insurance and will pay for it. Our lawyer says that as he is on the mortgage company conveyancing panel he must check that the lender is happy with this solution. Who is the client here, us or the bank?
The short answer to your last question is that, notwithstanding the potential for a conflict of interest, you and the lender are the client. A precondition to being on the bank approved panel is to comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook requirements. The UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook conditions require your lawyer to disclose issues such as defects will the lease so that the lender can be afforded the opportunity to check with their valuer as to the extent that the value of the property is affected . Should you refuse to allow your lawyer to make the appropriate notification then your lawyer will have no choice but to discontinue acting for you.