My wife and I are buying a 2 bedroom flat in South Woodford with a mortgage. We have a South Woodford lawyer, however the bank advise she’s not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the bank panel firms or keep our South Woodford conveyancing practitioner as well as pay for one of their panel ones to act for them. This feels very unfair; can we not require that the lender use our South Woodford solicitor ?
Unfortunately,no. Your mortgage offer is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the lender’s conveyancing panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. Another option that might be available is for your South Woodford conveyancing solicitor to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.
We are about to sign contracts for a freehold house in South Woodford. We have hit a snag. Our loan offer with Halifax runs out on 22/4/2025 but the owners are putting forward a completion date of 24/4/2025. Is it possible to extend the loan offer?
The best person to address this concern is your solicitors who is in a position to calculate if he or she is corresponding with the mortgage company, owner’s solicitors, selling agents or conceivably all parties given what has happend in your house move to date.
I am buying a terrace house in South Woodford. We would like to convert the garage to an office at the property.Will legal investigations on the property include investigations to ascertain if these alterations were previously refused?
Your property lawyer will check the registered title as conveyancing in South Woodford will on occasion identify restrictions in the title deeds which prevent certain changes or require the permission of another owner. Some works require local authority planning permissions and approval in accordance building regulations. Certain areas are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which often prevent or affect extensions. It would be sensible to check these issues with a surveyor ahead of any purchase.
We have agreed to purchase a house in South Woodford. A rare aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Virgin Money have issued a mortgage offer so presumably this is not a concern to them. Why is my solicitor raising questions about the panel?
Given that your lender is Virgin Money your lawyer must check the formal instructions set out in Section two of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Virgin Money. The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook includes minimum specifications for solar panel roof-space leases, and solicitors are required to report to Virgin Money where a lease does not comply with these conditions. The requirements relate to the installation of panels on properties countrywide and is not restricted to South Woodford.
HSBC have agreed my mortgage in principle, my offer on a flat in South Woodford has been agreed to, now what?
Your property agent will need to be advised as to your solicitor's details (ensure that the property lawyers are on the bank’s panel). Call up HSBC or the broker and finish off any outstanding forms. HSBC will appoint a valuer who will get in contact with the estate agent or owners to schedule an appointment. Once carried out (assuming no problems) it takes about ten days for the mortgage offer to be issued. HSBC will issue the offer to you and your property lawyers. The transaction will then take it’s course according the nature and complexity of the conveyancing in South Woodford.
Will our lawyer be raising questions concerning flooding as part of the conveyancing in South Woodford.
Flooding is a growing risk for conveyancers conducting conveyancing in South Woodford. There are those who purchase a house in South Woodford, completely aware that at some time, it may be flooded. However, aside from the physical damage, where a property is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to obtain a mortgage, adequate building insurance, or sell the premises. There are steps that can be taken as part of the conveyancing process to forewarn the buyer.
Solicitors are not best placed to give advice on flood risk, but there are a various checks that may be initiated by the buyer or on a buyer’s behalf which will figure out the risks in South Woodford. The standard completed inquiry forms supplied to a buyer’s lawyer (where the solicitors are adopting what is known as the Conveyancing Protocol) incorporates a usual question of the vendor to discover whether the property has suffered from flooding. If the premises has been flooded in past and is not notified by the owner, then a buyer could commence a compensation claim as a result of such an misleading response. A buyer’s solicitors should also order an environmental search. This should indicate if there is a recorded flood risk. If so, additional inquiries should be conducted.
I need to retain a conveyancing solicitor for sale conveyancing in South Woodford. I've stumble upon a site which looks to be the perfect answer If there is a chance to get all the legals done via phone that would be preferable. Should I be concerned? What should out be looking out for?
As usual with these online conveyancers you need to read ALL the small print - did you notice the extra charge for dealing with the mortgage?
I am in need of some leasehold conveyancing in South Woodford. Before I set the wheels in motion I want to be sure as to the unexpired term of the lease.
If the lease is recorded at the land registry - and almost all are in South Woodford - then the leasehold title will always include the basic details of the lease, namely the date; the term; and the original parties. From a conveyancing perspective such details then enable any prospective buyer and lender to confirm that any lease they are looking at is the one relevant to that title. For any other purpose, such as confirming how long the term was granted for and calculating what is left, then the register should be sufficient on it's own.
Having spent years of dialogue we simply can't agree with our landlord on how much the lease extension should cost for our flat in South Woodford. Does the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal have jurisdiction to calculate the appropriate figures?
Absolutely. We are happy to put you in touch with a South Woodford conveyancing firm who can help.
An example of a Lease Extension matter before the tribunal for a South Woodford flat is 135 Maybank Road in January 2013. The Tribunal determined that the price to be paid by the tenants for the grant of a new lease is £10,592 This case affected 1 flat. The unexpired term was 71.2 years.