I am purchasing a flat and require a conveyancing solicitor in Southwark who is on the Barnsley Building Society solicitor. Could you point me in the right direction as regards a solicitor?
Our service is limited to being a directory service for firms who wish to listed as being on the approved conveyancing panel for Barnsley Building Society in certain locations such as Southwark. We dont recommend any particular firm.
If you had a top tip for selecting a conveyancing solicitor in Southwark what would it be?
It would be unwise to be seduced by the cheapest Southwark conveyancing fees. You really do get what you’re paying for when it comes to property lawyers. A cheap quote may mean that the conveyancing solicitor is handling a lot of jobs at one time and you won’t get the quality of service and the attention that you need. It is, however, wise to use a conveyancer who has a fixed fee on a no sale, no fee basis. This way, you know exactly what you’ll have to pay in ahead of time.
I am selling my apartment. I had a double glazing fitted in February 2010, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My purchaser’s mortgage company, HSBC are being difficult. The Southwark solicitor who is on the HSBC conveyancing panel is happy to accept ‘lack of building regulation’ insurance but HSBC are insisting on a building regulation certificate. Why do HSBC have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?
It is probably the case that HSBC have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why HSBC may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing was correctly and safely installed. The indemnity insurance merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.
After shopping around on the internet I have found a Southwark conveyancer having checked that they are on the HSBC conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?
HSBC will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually HSBC will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. You may wish to consider appointing your own Southwark surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller.
Various internet forums that I have frequented warn that are the number one cause of delay in Southwark conveyancing transactions. Is this right?
The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) has noted the determinations of a review by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not figure within the top 10 causes of hindrances in the conveyancing process. Searches are not likely to be the root cause of slowing down conveyancing in Southwark.
Me and my brother own a terraced Edwardian property in Southwark. Conveyancing practitioner represented me and Clydesdale. I did a free Land Registry search last week and I saw two entries: one for freehold, another for leasehold under the exact same address. Is it worth asking Clydesdale to clarify?
You need to read the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Southwark and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they sell they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with mortgage companies. You can also question the situation with the conveyancing lawyer who conducted the work.
Just had an offer accepted on a new build apartment in Southwark. Conveyancing is daunting at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. What sort of enquires would be asked in new build conveyancing.
Set out below is a sample of a few leasehold new build enquiries that you should expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Southwark
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Will the freehold then be transferred for a nominal consideration (not exceeding £100) to the Management Company? The Vendor must covenant to keep unoccupied units in good repair until long leases are granted therefore. The Lease must contain a provision on behalf of the Vendor to pay the service charges in respect of unoccupied units in order to ensure that all services can be provided. The Landlord must covenant to assume the management if the Management Company goes into liquidation or otherwise defaults in running the management scheme. Will control of the Management Company (if any) be handed over to purchasers on completion of the last sale or earlier?
Frank (my husband) and I may need to sub-let our Southwark basement flat for a while due to a career opportunity. We instructed a Southwark conveyancing firm in 2001 but they have closed and we did not have the foresight to get any advice as to whether the lease allows us to sublet. How do we find out?
A small minority of properties in Southwark do contain a provision to say that subletting is only permitted with prior consent from the landlord. The landlord cannot unreasonably withhold but, in such cases, they would need to see references. Experience dictates that problems are usually caused by unsatisfactory tenants rather than owner-occupiers and for that reason you can expect the freeholder to take up the references and consider them carefully before granting consent.
Having spent months of negotiations we simply can't agree with our landlord on how much the lease extension should cost for our flat in Southwark. Can we issue an application to the Residential Property Tribunal Service?
Most certainly. We are happy to put you in touch with a Southwark conveyancing firm who can help.
An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement case for a Southwark property is 1-41 Royal Tower Lodge 40 Cartwright Street in April 2013. the tribunal adding the agreed value of capitalised ground rents and the reversion the price to be paid for the freehold was £1,187,000 This case affected 41 flats. The unexpired residue of the current lease was 107 years.