I have a decision in principle. The bank mentioned the loan came with free conveyancing. Is the implication that I have to appoint their panel solicitor as I would much rather instruct a South London based conveyancing firm?
Do check but the the probability is that appoint one of their panel solicitors should you accept the "fee-free" incentive. Contact the lender to explore if they offer you a monetary alternative. In the past a few lenders offered a £250 cashback as an alternative in which case that money can go towards the cost for your conveyancing solicitor near South London.
My stepmother informed me that in purchasing a property in South London there may be various restrictions prohibiting external alterations to a property. Is this right?
We are aware of a number of properties in South London which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to carry out external changes. Part of the conveyancing in South London should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.
When it comes to mortgage companies such as Yorkshire BS, do South London lawyers have to pay an annual charge to be on the list of approved solicitors?
We are not aware of any mortgage company fees to be on their list of approved firms, although some do charge an administration charge to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel application.
After months of negotiation I have agreed a price on an apartment in South London. My financial adviser pressured me to appoint their property lawyer. I paid an upfront payment of £200. A few days later, the solicitor called me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?
You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Virgin Money panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.
My friend advised me that where I am buying in South London I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?
A search of this type is occasionally included in the estimate for your South London conveyancing searches. It is a large document of about 40 pages, listing and detailing significant information about South London around the property and the people living there. It incorporates an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the South London Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the type of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average Property Price, Crime details, South London Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful information about South London.
The estate agent has sent us the confirmation of our purchase of a new build apartment in South London. Conveyancing is necessary evil at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. Can you give me some examples of some of the questions asked in new build legal work.
Set out below is a sample of a few leasehold new build enquiries that you can expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in South London
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Please supply a car parking plan. Please confirm the Lease plans are surveyor prepared. Where service of notices and proceedings can be at the property demised please confirm that this can be amended to include simultaneous services at the Lessees’ solicitors’ offices where the Lessee from time to time is not resident in the UK - such solicitors may be varied by notice in writing to the Landlord from time to time but otherwise will be as previously specified. Forfeiture - bankruptcy or liquidation must not apply under this provision.
Taking into account that I will soon part with £400,000 on a two bedroom apartment in South London I wish to have a conversation with the solicitor about myconveyancing ahead of instructing the firm. Can this be arranged?
We could not agree more - it is our preference to talk to you we do not take any clients on without you first talking to the conveyancer who will be carrying out your conveyancing in South London.There is no ‘factory style conveyancing’ - every client is unique person, not a matter reference. The solicitors that we put you in touch with believe that the figure you are provided with for residential conveyancing in South London should be the amount on the final invoice that you are charged.
Can you provide any advice for leasehold conveyancing in South London with the aim of speeding up the sale process?
- Much of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in South London can be bypassed if you instruct lawyers the minute your agents start marketing the property and request that they start to put together the leasehold information which will be required by the buyers’ lawyers. If there is a history of conflict with your landlord or managing agents it is very important that these are settled prior to the flat being put on the market. The buyers and their solicitors will be warry about purchasing a property where a dispute is ongoing. You will have to accept that you will have to discharge any arrears of service charge or settle 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 details of the dispute to the buyers, but it is better to present the dispute as historic rather than unresolved. If you are supposed to have a share in the Management Company, you should make sure that you hold the original share document. Organising a replacement share certificate can be a lengthy formality and frustrates many a South London conveyancing deal. Where a reissued share is required, do contact the company director and secretary or managing agents (if relevant) for this at the earliest opportunity. Some South London leases require Licence to Assign from the landlord. If this is the case, you should place the estate agents on notice to make sure that the purchasers put in hand bank and professional references. The bank reference will need to confirm that the buyers are financially capable of paying the annual service charge and the actual amount of the service charge should be quoted in the bank’s letter. You will therefore need to provide your estate agents with the service charge figures so that they can pass this information on to the purchasers or their solicitors. The majority of freeholders or managing agents in South London levy fees for providing management packs for a leasehold home. You or your lawyers should find out the fee that they propose to charge. The management information sought on or before finding a buyer, thus reducing delays. The average time it takes to obtain the necessary information is three weeks. It is the most frequent cause of delay in leasehold conveyancing in South London.
I am the leaseholder of a a ground floor purpose built flat in South London. Given that I can not reach agreement with the freeholder, can the Leasehold valuation Tribunal make a decision on the premium payable for the purchase of the freehold?
Absolutely. We are happy to put you in touch with a South London conveyancing firm who can help.
An example of a Lease Extension case for a South London residence is Flat B 10 Grove Avenue in October 2013. Following a vesting order Clerkenwell and Shoreditch County Court 3rd July 2013 The tribunal determines that the premium payable for the lease extension was £36,215.00 This case affected 1 flat. The unexpired term as at the valuation date was 65.21 years.