It is a dozen years since I bought my home in Southport. Conveyancing lawyers have just been instructed on the sale but I can't locate the deeds. Will this cause complications?
Don’t worry too much. First there is a possibility that the deeds will be retained by the lender or they may be archived with the lawyers who acted in the purchase. Secondly in all probability the property will be recorded at the land registry and you will be able to establish that you own the property by your conveyancing lawyers obtaining current official copies of the land registers. Nearly all conveyancing in Southport relates to registered property but in the unlikely event that your property is not registered it is more problematic but is not insurmountable.
The Southport conveyancing solicitors that I recently instructed on my house acquisition in Southport have suddenly closed. I chose them because I had to have a solicitor on the Aldermore conveyancing panel and my preferred Southport lawyer was not. I gave my credit card details for them to take one hundred and fifty pounds for searches. What do I do now?
If you have an estate agent involved then let them know immediately so that they advise the vendors that there may be a slight delay due to reasons beyond your control. Most sellers would be sympathetic and urge their lawyer to send a new set of papers to your new solicitors. You will need to appoint new lawyers that are on the Aldermore conveyancing panel and notify the lender. If you have paid over any money, it will hopefully be held by the SRA as money in an intervened firm's bank accounts is transferred to the SRA. Then, the SRA or the intervention agent looks at the intervened firm's accounts to work out who the money belongs to. To claim your money you will need to contact the SRA. If the SRA cannot return money you are owed from the firm's bank accounts, or if they can only return part of the money, you can apply to the Compensation Fund for a grant. Your new solicitors may be able to assist.
Various internet forums that I have come across warn that are the number one cause of obstruction in Southport house deals. Is that correct?
The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) has noted the conclusions of research by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not feature within the most frequent causes of hindrances during the legal transfer of property. Local searches are not likely to feature in any slowing down conveyancing in Southport.
three months have elapsed since my purchase conveyancing in Southport concluded. I have checked the Land Registry website which shows that I paid £150,000 when infact I paid £170,000. Why the discrepancy?
The price paid figure is taken from the application to register the purchase. It is the figure included in the Transfer (the legal deed which transfers the premises from one person to the other) and referred to as the 'consideration' or purchase price. You can report an error in the price paid figure using the LR online form. In most cases errors result from typos so at first glance the figure. Do report it so they can double check and advise.
How does conveyancing in Southport differ for newly converted properties?
Most buyers of new build property in Southport approach us having been asked by the developer to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the residence is constructed. This is because new home sellers in Southport 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 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 accustomed to new build conveyancing in Southport or who has acted in the same development.
Do online conveyancing companies cover everything a high street Southport solicitor does or must I retain a solicitor for the final stages for my conveyancing in Southport?
If you instruct an online conveyancer they will undertake all the things your Southport conveyancer will cover.