We are buying a apartment in Rutland. It might be a silly question but how we can trust a lawyer? On completion day we will need to deposit funds into their account. What is the protection we have from them run away with our deposit?
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.
I'm in the throws of viewing flats in Rutland and I am about to put in an offer. Is it premature to have a solicitor in place? I am planning to take a mortgage with Lloyds.
It would be prudent to start your search sooner rather than later. Once you decide who you want to use and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and forward their contact information on to the estate agent. As you are obtaining a mortgage with Lloyds, ask your prospective lawyers if they are on the Lloyds conveyancing panel otherwise they can't do the mortgage legal work.
The formalities of my remortgage has taken place for my property in Rutland. Conveyancing was of an acceptable standard but I would like to complain about the lender. How does one go about formally complaining?
Almost all lenders have complaints procedures. Your first port of call should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Services Team at head office. Ordinarily complaints to a lender are sorted out very quickly. If you feel the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service who will take matters further.
The deeds to our property can not be found. The conveyancers who dealt with the conveyancing in Rutland 4 years ago are no longer around. What do I do?
Assuming you have a registered title the information relating to your ownership will be documented by the Land Registry under a Title Number. It is possible to conduct a search at the Land Registry, identify your house and order up to date copies of the property title for less than a fiver. If the title is Leasehold then the Land Registry will usually retain a file duplicate of the Registered Lease and again, a copy can be retrieved for a small fee.
Am I right to be suspicious that third parties that I am dealing with are recommending a web based conveyancing firm rather than a High Street Rutland conveyancing firm?
As with lots of service providers, often recommendations from family and friends can be very helpful. Yet there are numerous people with a vested interest in a conveyancing deal; estate agents, mortgage brokers and lenders might all suggest solicitors to choose. On occasion the solicitors might be known to one of the organisations as experts in their field, but sometimes there exists a financial incentive behind the recommendation. You have the discretion to appoint your own lawyer. Don't forget that some lenders specify a panel list of lawyers you are obliged to use for the lender related work in your house move.
I am thinking of appointing a conveyancing solicitor in Rutland for my house move. Is there any facility to check a firm’s complaints history with the profession’s regulator?
You can read published Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) determinations resulting from inquisitions commenced on or after Jan 2008. Visit Check a solicitor's record. To find records about the period before 1 January 2008, or to check a firm's history, call 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and 09.30 - 18.00 Tuesday. For non-uk callers, use +44 (0)121 329 6800. The SRA could monitor call for training reasons.
I am attracted to a couple of maisonettes in Rutland which have approximately fifty years remaining on the lease term. Should I regard a short lease as a deal breaker?
There are no two ways about it. A leasehold apartment in Rutland is a wasting asset as a result of the shortening lease. The nearer the lease gets to zero years unexpired, the more it adversely affects the marketability of the property. The majority of buyers and banks, leases with under eighty years become less and less attractive. On a more positive note, leaseholders can extend their leases by serving a Section 42 Notice. One stipulation is that they must have owned the premises for two years (unlike a Section 13 notice for purchasing the freehold, when leaseholders can participate from day one of ownership). When successful, they will have the right to an extension of 90 years to the current term and ground rent is effectively reduced to zero. Before moving forward with a purchase of premises with a short lease term remaining you should talk to a solicitor specialising in lease extensions and leasehold enfranchisement. We are are happy to put you in touch with Rutland conveyancing experts who will explain the options available to you during an initial telephone conversation free of charge. A more straightforward and quicker method of extending would be to contact your landlord directly and sound him out on the prospect of extending the lease. You may find he or she is happy to negotiate informally and willing to consider your offer straight off, without having to involve anyone else. This will save you time and money and it could help you reach a lower price on the lease. You need to ensure that any new terms represent good long-term value compared with the standard benefits of the Section 42 Notice and that onerous clauses are not inserted into any redrafting of the lease.
I inherited a split level flat in Rutland, conveyancing having been completed June 2003. Can you let me have an estimated range of the fair premium for a lease extension? Equivalent properties in Rutland with a long lease are worth £190,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £45 charged once a year. The lease finishes on 21st October 2088
You have 62 years unexpired the likely cost is going to span between £17,100 and £19,800 plus costs.
The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to advice on the actual costs in the absence of comprehensive investigations. Do not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be additional concerns that need to be taken into account and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not move forward based on this information before getting professional advice.
I have been recommended a conveyancing solicitor in Rutland. I I would like to check if they are on the bank's conveyancing panel. Could you advise?
It’s a good idea contact the solicitor to check if they are on the lender's approved list. Alternatively please call us and we can investigate and revert. Should the firm not be on the bank panel we can certainly arrange a reputable conveyancing solicitor in Rutland on the panel for your lender.