My grandfather passed away last year and as sole heir and executor I was left the property in Snowdonia. The house had a relatively small loan remaining of approximately £8000. I want to transfer the title deeds into my name whilst I re-mortgage to Leeds Building Society, pay off the mortgage. Is this possible?
If you intend to refinance then Leeds Building Society will require that you use a conveyancer on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel. Here is link to the Land Registry online guidance around what to do when a property owner dies. This will help you to understand the registration process behind changing the details re the registered title. in your case it would appear that you are effectively purchasing the property from the estate. Your Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel solicitor pays the new mortgage money into the estate, the estate pays off the old mortgage, the charge is released and you become the owner and the Leeds Building Society mortgage is registered as a charge at the Land Registry.
I note that there are debates on Chancel Insurance on online forums. Am I compelled to have this when purchasing a house in Snowdonia? or Apparently there is an ancient law that means some owners of property living in a parish church boundary may be liable to contribute towards maintenance towards the chancel in proximity to the church. Is this relevant for conveyancing in Snowdonia?
Unless a previous purchase of the property took place post 12 October 2013 you may assume that solicitors conducting conveyancing in Snowdonia to remain recommending a chancel search and or chancel repair liability policy.
Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to my home are lost. The lawyers who handled the conveyancing in Snowdonia 10 years ago have long since closed. What do I do?
As long as the title is registered the details of your proprietorship will be documented by HMLR under a Title Number. It is possible to conduct a search at the Land Registry, find your house and get up to date copies of the Registered Entries for a small fee. If the property is Leasehold then the Land Registry will usually hold a file duplicate of the Registered Lease and again, a copy can be obtained for a small fee.
How does conveyancing in Snowdonia differ for newly converted properties?
Most buyers of new build property in Snowdonia come to us having been asked by the housebuilder to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the property is constructed. This is because new home sellers in Snowdonia typically acquire the land, 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 conveyancers 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 Snowdonia or who has acted in the same development.
Taking into account that I will soon part with hundreds of thousands of pounds on a property in Snowdonia I wish to have a conversation with the lawyer concerning thehouse move prior to instructing the firm. Is this something that you can arrange?
We could not agree more - it is our preference to talk to you we do not take any clients on without you liaising with the conveyancer who will be carrying out your property ownership legalities in Snowdonia.There is no ‘factory style conveyancing’ - every client is an important person, not a case number. The law firms that we put you in touch with believe that the figure you are calculated and presented to you for your conveyancing in Snowdonia should be the amount on the final invoice that you end up paying.
All being well we will complete the sale of our £375,000 maisonette in Snowdonia in just under a week. The management company has quoted £396 for Certificate of Compliance, insurance certificate and previous years service charge statements. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge such fees for a flat conveyance in Snowdonia?
Snowdonia conveyancing on leasehold maisonettes typically results in fees being raised by managing agents :
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Completing pre-exchange questions
Where consent is required before sale in Snowdonia
Supplying insurance information
Deeds of covenant upon sale
Registering of the assignment of the change of lessee after a sale
Leasehold Conveyancing in Snowdonia - Examples of Queries Prior to buying
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The prefered form of lease arrangement is where the freehold interest is in the ownership of the leaseholders. In this scenario the tenants enjoy control and notwithstanding that a managing agent is frequently retained where the building is larger than a house conversion, the managing agent is directed by the tenants. Generally speaking the outlay for major works are not wrapped into the service charges, albeit that some managing agents in Snowdonia obliged tenants to contribute towards a reserve fund and this is used to offset against larger repairs or maintenance.