I am progressing with the sale of my ground floor flat in Slade Green and the EA has just called to say that the buyers are swapping conveyancer. The excuse is that the bank will only engage with solicitors on their conveyancing panel. On what basis would a big named lender only engage with certain law firms rather the firm that they want to appoint for their conveyancing in Slade Green ?
UK lenders have always had panels of law firms they are content to work with, but in recent years big names such as HSBC, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have acted for them for many years.
Banks attribute this action to a rise in fraud by way of justification for the reduction – criteria have been tightened 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 claims that it is being contacted daily by practices 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 impact on this.
Can your site be used to locate a Conveyancing solicitor in Slade Green even if I’m not buying or selling a house, for instance where I wish to buy an office in Slade Green with a mortgage from Barclays ?
The service is predominantly used to find domestic conveyancing solicitors in Slade Green but we have recorded towards the bottom of this page a few Slade Green commercial conveyancing firms. You should make contact with the company directly to see if they are also authorised to represent Barclays
Do I have to pop into the offices of the solicitor to sign the mortgage deed? If so, I will appoint a lawyer who conducts conveyancing in Slade Green so that I can attend their offices when needed.
As opposed to twenty years ago, almost all lenders no longer need their conveyancing panel lawyer to witness the mortgagors signature. It will still be necessary for you to provide ID documents and there are still distinct benefits to using a local ayer, in your situation a conveyancing solicitor in Slade Green.
How does conveyancing in Slade Green differ for new build properties?
Most buyers of new build premises in Slade Green come to us having been asked by the seller to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the premises is finished. This is because developers in Slade Green typically buy the site, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct conveyancing solicitors as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are used to new build conveyancing in Slade Green or who has acted in the same development.
In what way does the Landlord & Tenant Act 1954 affect my business offices in Slade Green and how can your lawyers assist?
The particular law that you refer to gives security of tenure to commercial lessees, giving them the legal entitlement to make a request to court for a continuation of occupancy when the lease reaches an end. There are limited grounds that a landlord can refuse a lease renewal and the rules are complicated. Fees are different for commercial conveyancing. Slade Green is one of our many areas of the UK in which the firms we work with have offices
We have reached the end of our tether in seeking a lease extension in Slade Green. Can the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal adjudicate on premiums?
Where there is a missing freeholder or where there is dispute about what the lease extension should cost, under the relevant legislation you can apply to the LVT to assess the price.
An example of a Lease Extension matter before the tribunal for a Slade Green property is Various @ Colombus Square in January 2012. the Tribunal calculated the premiums to be paid for new leases for each of the flats in Mariners Walk to be £3822 and the premium to be paid for the new lease of 2 Knights Court to be £4439. This case related to 13 flats. The number of years remaining on the existing lease(s) was 76 years.
What makes a Slade Green lease problematic?
Leasehold conveyancing in Slade Green is not unique. Most leases are drafted differently and drafting errors can sometimes mean that certain provisions are missing. The following missing provisions could result in a defective lease:
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A provision to repair to or maintain parts of the building Clauses dealing with recovering service charges for expenditure on the building or common parts.
A defective lease can cause problems when trying to sell a property as they can affect a potential buyer’s ability to obtain a mortgage. Accord Mortgages Ltd, Skipton Building Society, and Bank of Ireland all have express conveyancing instructions when it comes to what is expected in a lease. Where a lender has been advised by their lawyers that the lease is defective they may refuse to grant the mortgage, forcing the purchaser to pull out.