Do the Building Society Association intend to launch a searchable register to to identify solicitors on the Darlington Building Society conveyancing panel for instance in Pontypridd?
We have not been informed any plans on the part of the BSA to develop such a search facility.
I have today made my last payment due on my mortgage with Kent Reliance. I assume I don't need a Pontypridd conveyancing practitioner on the Kent Reliance panel to discharge the mortgage at the Land Registry. Please confirm.
If you have finished paying off your Kent Reliance mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the Kent Reliance mortgage from the register. Kent Reliance, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:
- but are not moving to another property
- where Kent Reliance has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
- Kent Reliance has instructed the Land Registry to do so
I have decided to exercise my right to buy my property in Pontypridd off the council. I have a mortgage agreed with Clydesdale. Conveyancing is not something I have any knowledge of. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should have one. Any advice?
It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with Clydesdale, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel.
I was told four weeks ago that my mortgage has been agreed to by Nottingham. Is it usual for Nottingham to only issue the offer once my solicitor in Pontypridd is approved on their conveyancing panel? Nottingham have asked my solicitor to see a copy of their Professional Indemnity Insurance Schedule.
A lender would not issue a mortgage until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Nottingham to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the Nottingham conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.
A relative advised me that where I am buying in Pontypridd I should ask my conveyancer to execute a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. What does it cover?
A search of this type is sometimes quoted for as part of the standard Pontypridd conveyancing searches. It is a large report of about 40 pages, listing and setting out significant information about Pontypridd around the property and the people living there. It includes an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the local Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the demographics of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average Property Price, Crime details, Pontypridd Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data about Pontypridd.
I have a semi-detached Edwardian house in Pontypridd. Conveyancing practitioner acted for me and Leeds Building Society. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and I saw a couple of entries: one for freehold, the second leasehold under the matching address. I'd like to know for sure, how can I find out??
You need to read the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register as there may be mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Pontypridd and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they sell they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with purchasers. You can also question the position with your conveyancing practitioner who completed the work.
I'm purchasing my first flat in Pontypridd benefiting from help to buy. The sellers would not reduce the price so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of fixtures and fittings instead. The sale representative suggested that I not to tell my lawyer about the extras as it could affect my mortgage with the lender. Is this normal?.
All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the developer of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.
Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.
Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.
Do I need to be concerned by estate agents that I am dealing with are encouraging me to use a factory type conveyancing firm rather than a High Street Pontypridd conveyancing firm?
As is the case with lots of service providers, often input from connections can be extremely useful or valuable. Nevertheless there are many parties with a vested interest in a conveyancing deal; estate agents, financial adviser and lenders might all put forward conveyancers to choose. Sometimes these lawyers might be known to one of the organisations as one of the best in their field, but sometimes there may be a financial incentive behind the recommendation. You have the right to appoint your preferred conveyancer. Don't forget that some lenders operate an approved list of solicitors you must use for the mortgage related work in your transaction.