It is a dozen years since I purchased my house in Southwick. Conveyancing solicitors have recently been instructed on the sale but I can't locate my deeds. Is this a problem?
Don’t worry too much. Firstly there is a chance that the deeds will be kept by your mortgage company or they may be archived with the conveyancers who oversaw the purchase. Secondly the chances are that the property will be registered at the land registry and you will be able to prove you are the registered owner by your conveyancing solicitors acquiring up to date copy of the land registers. The vast majority of conveyancing in Southwick relates to registered property but in the rare situation where your property is not registered it is more problematic but is not insurmountable.
I am looking to buy a flat and require a conveyancing solicitor in Southwick who is on the TSB approved. Can you recommend a local firm?
Our service is limited to being a directory service for firms who wish to listed as being on the approved conveyancing panel for TSB in certain locations such as Southwick. We dont recommend any particular firm.
Forgive me if this question is silly but I am unseasoned as FTB of a garden flat in Southwick. Do I receive the keys to the property on completion from my conveyancer? If this is the case, I will find a local conveyancing solicitor in Southwick?
On the day of completion you do not need to attend the conveyancers office in Southwick. Your solicitors will electronically transfer the purchase money to the vendor’s conveyancers, and once they have received this, you will be able to receive the keys from the selling Agents and start moving into the property. This tends to happen early afternoon.
Is it the case that all Southwick CQS (Conveyancing Quality Scheme) solicitors are on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel?
Some major lenders now use the accreditation scheme as the kick off point for Panel membership such as HSBC and Santander. The Law Society’s CQS membership however gives no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. That being said,the Council of Mortgage Lenders have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for firms wishing to remain on their panels.
is it true that all Southwick solicitor practices on the Nottingham conveyancing panel are governed by the SRA?
As a firm of solicitors, in order to be on the Nottingham approved list of solicitors they would need to be overseen by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority. Many mortgage companies do list licenced conveyancers on their panel and in that case the practice would be overseen by the CLC.
It has been four months following my purchase conveyancing in Southwick took place. I have checked the Land Registry site which shows that I paid £175,000 when infact I paid £160,000. 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 residence 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.
Should I use a Southwick conveyancing solicitor who is local to the property I am buying? An old friend can deal with the conveyancing but her office is 400kilometers away.
The benefit of a high street Southwick conveyancing practice is that you can attend the office to execute documents, hand in your ID and apply pressure on them if necessary. They will also have local insight which is a benefit. That being said nothing is more important than finding someone that will pull out all the stops for you. If you know people who instructed your friend and they were impressed that should outweigh using an unfamiliar Southwick conveyancing solicitor solely due to them being round the corner.
What are your top tips when it comes to finding a Southwick conveyancing practice to deal with our lease extension?
When appointing a property lawyer for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Southwick conveyancing firm) it is most important that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We recommend that you talk with two or three firms including non Southwick conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then so much the better. The following questions could be useful:
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What are the charges for lease extension work? Can they put you in touch with clients in Southwick who can give a testimonial?
Southwick Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Sample of Questions you should consider before Purchasing
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Where a Southwick lease has fewer than eighty years it will affect the value of the property. Check with your lender that they are content with the length of the lease. Leases with less than 80 years remaining means that you will almost definitely require a lease extension at some point and it is worth discovering how much this would cost. For most Southwicklease extensions you would be required to have owned the residence for two years in order to be legally able to exercise a lease extension. In the main the cost for major works tend not to be included within service charges, although there some managing agents in Southwick require leasehold owners to contribute towards a sinking fund and this is used to offset against larger works. Best to be warned whether fixing the lift or some other significant cost is pending that will be shared by the tenants and will dramatically increase the the service costs or result in a specific invoice.