Me and my partner are planning to acquire a 3 bedroom flat in Southwick with a mortgage. We like our Southwick conveyancer, however the mortgage company says she’s not on their "panel". It seems we have little choice but to select one of the mortgage company panel firms or continue with our Southwick lawyer and pay for one of their panel ones to act for them. This seems very unfair; can we not insist that the lender use our Southwick lawyer ?
Unfortunately,no. The mortgage offered to you 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. A further alternative is for your Southwick conveyancing solicitor to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.
Me and my partner are purchasing a property in Southwick. I might seem paranoid but how we can trust a lawyer? At some point we have to deposit our life savings into their account. What is the protection we have from them run away with our money?
Be assured that all money in a Solicitors client account is 100% safe, and even if your Solicitor ran off with it, the Law Society would reimburse you fully.
My wife and I purchasing a detached bungalow in Southwick. Our aim is to carry out a loft conversion at the property.Will the conveyancing process include investigations to determine if these alterations are allowed?
Your conveyancer should review the registered title as conveyancing in Southwick will on occasion reveal restrictions in the title documents which prevent certain works or necessitated the permission of a 3rd party. Many extensions require local authority planning permissions and approval in compliance with building regulations. Many locations are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which frequently prevent or impact extensions. You should check these issues with a surveyor before you commit yourself to a purchase.
I have paid off my mortgage with TSB. I assume I don't need a Southwick lawyer on the TSB panel to discharge the mortgage at the Land Registry. Am I right?
If you have finished paying off your TSB mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the TSB mortgage from the register. TSB, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:
- but are not moving to another property
- where TSB has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
- TSB has instructed the Land Registry to do so
Will my solicitor be raising enquiries about flooding during the conveyancing in Southwick.
The risk of flooding is if increasing concern for lawyers specialising in conveyancing in Southwick. Plenty of people will purchase a house in Southwick, completely expectant that at some time, it may suffer from flooding. However, leaving to one side the physical destruction, if a property is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to get a mortgage, adequate insurance cover, or dispose of the premises. There are steps that can be taken as part of the conveyancing process to forewarn the purchaser.
Lawyers are not best placed to give advice on flood risk, however there are a various checks that may be undertaken by the purchaser or by their conveyancers which can give them a better appreciation of the risks in Southwick. The conventional set of completed inquiry forms sent to a purchaser’s conveyancer (where the solicitors are adopting what is known as the Conveyancing Protocol) incorporates a usual inquiry of the seller to find out whether the premises has ever been flooded. If the property has been flooded in past which is not revealed by the owner, then a purchaser could bring a claim for damages as a result of such an incorrect response. The buyer’s conveyancers should also conduct an environmental report. This will higlight if there is a recorded flood risk. If so, additional investigations should be made.
I have justbeen informed that Action Conveyancing have closed. They carried out my conveyancing in Southwick for a purchase of a freehold house 9 months ago. How can I be sure that the property is in my name in the name of the former proprietor?
The easiest way to see if the premises is registered to you, you can make a search of the land registry (£3.00). You can either do this yourself or ask a law firm to do this for you. If you are not registered you can seek help from one of a number of Southwick conveyancing specialists.
Due to sign contracts shortly on a ground floor flat in Southwick. Conveyancing lawyers have said that they are sending me a report within the next couple of days. What should I be looking out for?
The report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in Southwick should include some of the following:
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What the implications are if you breach a clause of your lease? Does the lease prevent you from renting out the flat, or having a home office for business specifics of the parties to the lease, for example these could be the tennant, head lessor, freeholder Who has the liability to repair and maintain the main walls and foundations. It is important that you know who is responsible the repair and maintenance of all parts of the block and communal areas Are you allowed to have a pet in the flat?
I inherited a studio flat in Southwick, conveyancing formalities finalised in 2007. Can you let me have an estimated range of the fair premium for a lease extension? Comparable flats in Southwick with over 90 years remaining are worth £227,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 levied per year. The lease ceases on 21st October 2098
With just 72 years left to run we estimate the price of your lease extension to be between £9,500 and £11,000 plus professional fees.
The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to supply the actual costs in the absence of comprehensive investigations. You should not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt additional concerns that need to be considered and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not move forward placing reliance on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.
My friend mentioned that when selecting a conveyancing solicitors they must be approved by your lender. I am new to the process but I have an offer in principle from Santander and I already have a local conveyancing lawyer in Southwick at the ready. Can Santander require an approved conveyancer to be selected? If so, where do I find that list for my conveyancing in Southwick?
You should choose a solicitor that is on the Santander panel. Just telephone your preferred Southwick conveyancing solicitor to check if they are on the Santander panel. If they are not on the panel you have a number of choices available to you here:
- Carry on with your existing Southwick lawyer but Santander will no doubt retain a property lawyer on their approved panel. This will result in additional cost together with potential frustration.
- Get a fresh solicitor to act in the purchase, obviously checking they are on the Santander conveyancing panel.
- Appeal to your solicitor to apply to join the lender panel.