Some advice if I may. My Seaburn conveyancer is informing me me that he is legally obliged toapply for Seaburn conveyancing searches stemming from the fact thatthe firm are on the Virgin Moneyconveyancing panel. Do I not have any options here?
You have limited options available to you. As you are taking a home loan with a lender your solicitor has to comply with their conditions as set out in their version of the CML Conveyancing Handbook. Your lawyer would have previously signed the Terms and Conditions of your lender’s conveyancing panel appointment which obliges them to follow the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook specifications . Even if you were a cash buyer you would be ill advised not to carry out Seaburn conveyancing searches.
Why do I have to pay up front for conveyancing in Seaburn?
If you are buying a property in Seaburn your lawyer will request that you to provide them with funds to cover the search fees. Generally this is needed to cover the fees of the Local Authority Search. If any down payment is as part of the total price then this will be asked for immediately prior to exchange of contracts. The closing balance that is due will be payable a couple of days ahead of the day of completion.
What is the best way to check that the solicitor conducting my conveyancing in Seaburn is on the bank’sconveyancing panel? I am looking to avoid the situation of having one lawyer for me and one for Chelsea Building Society thus paying £187.00 plus VAT in further legal fees.
Please do take advantage of the find a lender approved solicitor tool on this site. Pick the mortgage company and type ‘Seaburn’ or your preferred area and you will see a number of lawyer located in Seaburn or nearest you.
We are purchasing a property in Seaburn. I might seem paranoid but how we can trust a lawyer? At some point we will need to send our life savings 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.
My aunt advised me that in buying a property in Seaburn there may be various restrictions affecting the ability to carry out external alterations to the property. Is this right?
There are anumerous of properties in Seaburn which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to external alterations. Part of the conveyancing in Seaburn should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.
I can not work out if my mortgage offer obliges me to make sure the lease term for the flat is extended prior to the completion date. I have telephoned my Seaburn bank branch on numerous occasions and was informed it wasn't an issue and they will lend. My Seaburn conveyancing solicitor - who is on the lender conveyancing panel- called to say that they refuse to lend in accordance with their UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook minimum lease term requirements. I have no idea who is right.
As long as the conveyancer is on the lender panel, she or he must comply with the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook specifications for the bank. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that the mortgage company will go ahead, your lawyer has no choice but to refrain from exchanging contract and committing you to the purchase. We would suggest that you ask the mortgage company to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the number of years left on the lease.
Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold element on a property I have offered on last month in what should have been a straight forward, no chain conveyancing. Seaburn is the location of the property. Can you shed any light on this issue?
Flying freeholds in Seaburn are unusual but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside Seaburn you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds diligently. Your mortgage company may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Seaburn 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 residence.
Can you offer any advice when it comes to appointing a Seaburn conveyancing firm to deal with our lease extension?
When appointing a property lawyer for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Seaburn conveyancing practice) it is most important that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We advise that you speak with two or three firms including non Seaburn conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. Where the conveyancing practice is ALEP accredited then so much the better. The following questions might be of use:
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If the firm is not ALEP accredited then what is the reason?
Seaburn Leasehold Conveyancing - A selection of Queries before Purchasing
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Does the lease contain onerous restrictions? Are any of leasehold owners in arrears of their service charge payments? The majority of Seaburn leasehold apartments will incur a service charge for maintenance of the block levied by the freeholder. If you purchase the apartment you will have to pay this liability, usually in instalments throughout the year. This could differ from several hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for bigger purpose-built buildings. In all probability there will be a ground rent to be met yearly, ordinarily this is not a large figure, say around £25-£75 but you need to enquire it because sometimes it can be prohibitively expensive.