I am under pressure from the owner of a property in Shortlands to exchange within four weeks. What can I do to expedite matters?
In a situation where you are under pressure for your conveyancing we would recommend that your lawyer is familiar with the location as they will have local connections and insight. It is possible that they may have handled previoushomes in the same street. You would be best advised to use a Shortlands conveyancing lawyer. In addition, check that the lawyer is on the member panel. It is said that 18% of Shortlands conveyancing deals are held up or derailed after discovering a purchaser’s solicitor was not on their banks panel. In many cases this discovery resulted in the legal transfer of property being delayed by an average of 21 days. It is understood that this issue impacts in the region of 100,000 home moves annually. Almost all Shortlands conveyancing practices can not represent certain banks so do check as early as possible.
My uncle pointed out to me me that in purchasing a property in Shortlands there could be a number of restrictions as to what one can do in terms of external alterations to the property. Is this right?
There are anumerous of properties in Shortlands which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to execute external alterations. Part of the conveyancing in Shortlands should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.
We expect to receive a AIP from Skipton this week so we know how much we could potentially offer as otherwise we are dependent on web based calculators (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do Skipton recommend any Shortlands solicitors on the Skipton conveyancing panel, or is it better to go independently?
You will need to appoint Shortlands solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the Skipton conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and Skipton through the process.
I'm spending time viewing apartments in Shortlands and I am about to put in an offer. Is it too early to have a solicitor in place? I intend to finance via a home loan with Co-operative.
It would be prudent to start your search sooner rather than later. After you have chosen your lawyer and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and forward their details on to the estate agent. As you are getting a mortgage with Co-operative, ask your prospective lawyers if they are on the Co-operative conveyancing panel otherwise they can't do the mortgage legal work.
My colleague recommended that if I am buying in Shortlands I should ask my conveyancer to carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. What does it cover?
This is a search is sometimes quoted for as part of the standard Shortlands conveyancing searches. It is a large document of about 40 pages, listing and setting out significant information about Shortlands 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 type of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average Property Price, Crime statistics, Shortlands Education with plans and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful information concerning Shortlands.
I'm purchasing my first flat in Shortlands benefiting from help to buy. The sellers would not reduce the amount so I negotiated £7000 of additionals instead. The estate agent advised me not reveal to my conveyancer about this extras as it would jeopardize my loan with the lender. Should I keep quiet?.
All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the builder 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.
I have been on the look out for a flat up to £245,000 and found one close by in Shortlands I like with a park and transport links nearby, the downside is that it only has 52 years unexpired on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Shortlands suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake purchasing a lease with such few years left?
Should you need a mortgage the remaining unexpired lease term will be an issue. Reduce the price by the anticipated lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current proprietor has owned the premises for a minimum of 2 years you could request that they start the process of the extension and pass it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the existing lease term and have £0 ground rent by law. You should consult your conveyancing lawyer concerning this.
Do online conveyancing organisations do everything a local Shortlands solicitor does or do I still need to employ a solicitor for the final stages for my conveyancing in Shortlands?
If you use an online conveyancer they will cover all the tasks your Shortlands conveyancer will cover.