Am I correct in assuming that the fact that my solicitor in Sittingbourne is not on my lender's solicitor panel that there is a problem with the quality of his conveyancing?
It would be unwise to jump to that conclusion. There are all sorts of perfectly plausible explanations. A recent report by the solicitors regulator revealed 76% of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The most common reasons for removal are: (1) lack of transactions (2) the lawyer is a sole practitioner (3) as part of the HSBC panel reduction (4) regulatory contact by SRA (5) accidental removal. If you are concerned you should contact the Sittingbourne conveyancing firm and ask them why they are no longer on the approved list for your mortgage company.
How can we know in advance if a Sittingbourne conveyancing solicitor on the Aldermore panel is any good?
When it comes to conveyancing in Sittingbourne obtaining recommendations is a good start. Before you go ahead, check if they offer a no sale no fee offer. Also, you often get what you pay for - a firm which quotes more, will often provide a better service than one which is cheap as chips. We would always suggest that you speak with the solicitor conducting your conveyancing.
Last month we had a mortgage agreed in principle with Nationwide. Sittingbourne conveyancing practitioners are selected. How long does it take for Nationwide to forward the offer to the conveyancing practitioner?
Some lenders take longer than others. Have Nationwide completed the survey? Have you informed Nationwide as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the Nationwide conveyancing panel? It is not unusual for a mortgage offer to take a month to come through.
At last I have had an offer on an apartment in Sittingbourne accepted, but there is a chain. The owners have put an offer on somewhere, but it’s not yet agreed to, and are looking at other properties booked. I have chosen a local conveyancing solicitor in Sittingbourne. What do I do now? At what point should I apply for the mortgage with Kent Reliance?
It is normal to have apprehensions where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to incur costs too early (home loan application is approx one thousand pounds, then survey, Sittingbourne conveyancing search fees, etc). The first thing to do is ensure that your conveyancing practitioner is on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel. Regarding the next steps this very much depends on the uniqueness of your transaction, motivation for the property and on the state of the market. In a rising market many purchasers will apply for a home loan with Kent Reliance and pay for the valuation and only if it was satisfactory would they pay their conveyancer to proceed with searches.
What does a local search tell me concerning the property we're purchasing in Sittingbourne?
Sittingbourne conveyancing often starts with the submitting local authority searches directly from your local Authority or through a personal search company for instance PSG The local search plays a central role in most Sittingbourne conveyancing purchase; that is if you wish to avoid any unpleasant once you have moved into your new home. The search will reveal data on, amongst other things, details on planning applications applicable to the property (whether granted or refused), building control history, any enforcement action, restrictions on permitted development, nearby road schemes, contaminated land and radon gas; in all a total of thirteen topic areas.
Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to my property can not be found. The lawyers who handled the conveyancing in Sittingbourne 10 years ago are no longer around. What do I do?
In today’s world there are duplicates made of almost everything, and your lawyer should know exactly where to look for all the appropriate paperwork so you can buy or dispose of your property without a hitch. Where copies can’t be located, your lawyer can put in place insurance or indemnities against possible claims on the property.
I have been on the look out for a ground for flat up to £195,000 and identified one near me in Sittingbourne I like with a park and transport links nearby, however it only has 52 years on the lease. There is not much else in Sittingbourne suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake buying a lease with such few years left?
If you require a mortgage the shortness of the lease will be problematic. Reduce the price by the amount the lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing owner has owned the property for a minimum of twenty four months you can ask them to start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease term with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer regarding this.
Can you provide any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Sittingbourne with the intention of expediting the sale process?
- A significant proportion of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Sittingbourne can be reduced if you appoint lawyers as soon as you market your property and request that they start to collate the leasehold documentation needed by the purchasers’ lawyers. If you are supposed to have a share in the Management Company, you should make sure that you are holding the original share document. Organising a new share certificate can be a time consuming process and slows down many a Sittingbourne conveyancing deal. Where a reissued share certificate is needed, you should approach the company officers or managing agents (if relevant) for this at the earliest opportunity. You may think that you are aware of the number of years remaining on your lease but you should verify this by asking your lawyers. A buyer’s conveyancer will be unlikely to recommend their client to proceed with the purchase of a leasehold property the lease term is less than 75 years. It is therefore important at an early stage that you consider whether the lease term for your property needs extending. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your home on the market for sale. If there is a history of any disputes with your freeholder or managing agents it is essential that these are settled prior to the flat being marketed. The buyers and their solicitors will be concerned about purchasing a flat where a dispute is unresolved. You may have to bite the bullet and pay any arrears of service charge or resolve the dispute prior to completion of the sale. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled prior to the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You will still have to reveal particulars of the dispute to the buyers, but it is clearly preferable to reveal the dispute as over as opposed to ongoing.
Leasehold Conveyancing in Sittingbourne - Sample of Queries before buying
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What restrictions are there in the Sittingbourne Lease? Can you inform me if there are any major works anticipated that could increase the service charges? Are any of leasehold owners in arrears of their service charge payments?