It is a dozen years since I acquired my property in Southbourne. Conveyancing solicitors have now been appointed on the sale but I am unable to track down my title deeds. Will this jeopardise the sale?
You need not be too concerned. Firstly the deeds may be retained by the mortgage company or they may stored with the solicitor who acted in the purchase. Secondly in all probability the title will be recorded at the land registry and you will be able to prove you are the registered owner by your conveyancing lawyers acquiring current official copies of the land registers. Nearly all conveyancing in Southbourne relates to registered property but in the rare situation where your property is unregistered it adds to the complexity but is not insurmountable.
What happens if my solicitor is suspended from the Co-operative Conveyancing panel ahead of completing my conveyancing in Southbourne?
The first thing to point out is that, this is very unlikely to happen. In most cases even where a law firm is removed off of a panel the lender would allow the completion to go ahead as the lender would appreciate the difficulties that they would place you in if you have to instruct a new solicitor days before completion. In a worst case scenario where the lender insists that you instruct a new firm then it is possible for a very good lawyer to expedite the conveyancing albeit that you may pay a significant premium for this. The analogous situation is where a buyer instructs a lawyer, exchanges contracts and the law firm is shut down by a regulator such as the SRA. Again, in this situation you can find lawyers who can troubleshoot their way to bring the conveyancing to a satisfactory conclusion - albeit for a fee.
My wife and I are at the point of looking at flats in Southbourne and I am now considering a potential offer. Should I already have a lawyer in place at this stage? I intend to finance via a mortgage with Bank of Ireland.
You should start obtaining conveyancing estimates from solicitors ASAP. After you have chosen your lawyer and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and forward their details on to the EA. As you are getting a mortgage with Bank of Ireland, make sure you remember to check that your lawyer is on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel.
Completion of my remortgage has taken place for my property in Southbourne. Conveyancing was a necessary evil but I would like to complain about the lender. Who do I contact should I wish to lodge a complaint?
Most lenders have complaints procedures. Your first point of contact should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Services Team at head office. We understand that complaints to a lender are sorted out effectively and efficiently. However if you are not satisfied that the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service who will take matters further.
I can not work out if my mortgage offer obliges me to make sure the lease term for the flat is extended prior to the completion date. I have telephoned my Southbourne building society branch on numerous occasions and was told it does not affect the mortgage offer and they would lend. My Southbourne conveyancing solicitor - who is on the bank conveyancing panel- called to say that they will not lend based on their UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook minimum lease term requirements. I simply don't know who is right.
The property lawyer must follow the CML Handbook section two requirements for your bank. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that the mortgage company will go ahead, your lawyer has no choice but to refrain from exchanging contract and committing you to the purchase. We would suggest that you ask the lender to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the number of years remaining.
Is it necessary to pay for insurance to protect me from financial exposure to chancel repairs when acquiring a residence in Southbourne?
Unless a previous acquisition of the house took place post 12 October 2013 you could take it that lawyers handling conveyancing in Southbourne to continue to recommend a chancel search and or insurance against a claim.
Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to our home can not be found. The solicitors who conducted the conveyancing in Southbourne 4 years ago no longer exist. Will I be able to sell the house?
Nowadays there are duplicates made of almost everything, and your solicitor will know exactly where to find all the appropriate documentation so you may purchase or dispose of your property without any difficulty. Where copies are not available, your conveyancer can put in place insurance or indemnities against future claims on the property.
I have been on the look out for a ground for flat up to £235,500 and found one round the corner in Southbourne I like with open areas and station in the vicinity, the downside is that it only has 51 remaining years left on the lease. There is not much else in Southbourne in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error buying a lease with such few years left?
If you require a mortgage that many years may be problematic. Reduce the price by the expected lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current owner has owned the property for at least 2 years you can request that they commence the lease extension formalities and pass it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should consult your conveyancing lawyer regarding this matter.