I am nearing exchange of contracts for my home in Shooter's Hill and the estate agent has just text me to say that the purchasers are changing their property lawyer. I am told that this is due to the fact that the lender will only work with solicitors on their approved list. On what basis would a leading mortgage company only deal with specific solicitors rather the firm that they want to select to handle their conveyancing in Shooter's Hill ?
UK lenders have always had panels of law firms they are content to work with, but in the last few years big names such as Santander, have considered and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have acted for them for many years.
Banks point to the increase in fraud as the reason for the pruning – criteria have been narrowed as a smaller panel is easier to maintain. Banks tend not to disclose how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society says it is hearing daily from firms that have been removed from panels. Some do not even realise they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyers' case. The purchasers are unlikely to have any sway in the decision.
Is it the case that all Shooter's Hill CQS (Conveyancing Quality Scheme) solicitors are on the Kent Reliance conveyancing list of approved solicitors?
It is true that some banks and building societies now utilise CQS as the starting point for Panel membership such as HSBC and Santander. The Law Society’s CQS accreditation however gives no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. That being said,the Council of Mortgage Lenders have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for solicitor practices wishing to join their panels.
I am purchasing a property in Shooter's Hill. A rare aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. UBS have issued a mortgage offer so presumably this is not a concern to them. Why is my solicitor raising questions about the panel?
As your lender is UBS your lawyer must check the formal requirements contained in Part 2 of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for UBS. The CML Handbook contains minimum conditions for solar panel roof-space leases, and lawyers are required to report to UBS where a lease does not meet these provisions. The provisions relate to the installation of panels on properties in England and Wales and is not restricted to Shooter's Hill.
I'm in the process of viewing houses in Shooter's Hill and I am about to put in an offer. Is it too early to have a solicitor in place? I am planning to take a mortgage with Nottingham.
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 details on to the selling agent. As you are getting a mortgage with Nottingham, make sure you remember to check that your lawyer is on the Nottingham conveyancing panel.
I am looking for a flat up to £195,000 and identified one near me in Shooter's Hill I like with amenity areas and station in the vicinity, however it's only got 61 remaining years left on the lease. There is not much else in Shooter's Hill in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error buying a short lease?
Should you need a mortgage the remaining unexpired lease term will be a potential deal breaker. Discount the price by the amount the lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the current proprietor has owned the property for a minimum of twenty four months you could request that they commence the lease extension formalities and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer regarding this matter.
I am looking into buying my first house which is in Shooter's Hill and I am already nervous. I couldn't find anything specific about Shooter's Hill. Conveyancing will be needed in due course but do you know about the Shooter's Hill area? or perhaps some other tips you can share?
Rather than looking online forget looking online you should go and have a look at Shooter's Hill. In the meantime here are some basic statistics that we found
Estate agents have just been given the go-ahead to market my garden flat in Shooter's Hill. Conveyancing lawyers have not yet been instructed, but I have just had a quarterly service charge demand – Do I pay up?
The sensible thing to do is discharge the invoice as you normally would as all rents and maintenance charges should be allotted on completion, so you will be reimbursed by the purchaser for the period running from after the completion date to the next payment date. Most managing agents will not acknowledge the buyer unless the service charges have been paid and are up to date, so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. Having a clear account will assist your cause and will leave you no worse off financially.
I have attempted and failed to negotiate with my landlord to extend my lease without getting anywhere. Can the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal decide on such issues? Can you recommend a Shooter's Hill conveyancing firm to represent me?
You certainly can. We are happy to put you in touch with a Shooter's Hill conveyancing firm who can help.
An example of a Lease Extension matter before the tribunal for a Shooter's Hill property is 103a Footscray Road in January 2014. The tribunal determines that the premium payable for the extended lease should be £34,500 according to the expert witness valuation calculation This case affected 1 flat.
A licensed conveyancer dealt with my conveyancing in Shooter's Hill 5 years ago and was holding my registration documents but has now closed – What steps do I now take to retreive them?
Title deeds, as such, are no longer appropriate for the majority of homes in Shooter's Hill are registered electronically at Land Registry. If you need to establish ownership or are disposing of or re-mortgaging your lawyer should obtain up to date copies of the register from the Land Registry in any case.
If you feel there may be other documents or you have any other queries please e-mail your request with details of the transaction and documents you need to filerequest@clc-uk.org. The CLC will let you know what information they have and any additional information they may need before they are in a position to identify and send the documents to you. Following an intervention it may take some time for the CLC to access archived files and documents, but your request will be actioned as quickly as possible.