What does my ID and proof of funds have anything to do with my conveyancing in Spondon? Is this really necessary?
Spondon conveyancing solicitors as well as nationwide property lawyers throughout the UK have a duty under Anti-terror and anti-money-laundering rules to verify the ID of any client in order to satisfy themselves that clients are who they say they are.
Conveyancing clients will need to disclose two forms of certified ID; proof of identity (typically a Passport or Driving Licence) and evidence of address (typically a Utility Bill no older than three months).
Evidence of the origin of funds is also required under the money laundering statutes as lawyers have a duty to check that the funds you are using to acquire a property (be it the exchange deposit or the full purchase monies where you are a cash purchaser) has come from an acceptable source (such as an inheritance) and is not the fruits of criminal activity.
I'm the single recipient of my late father’s will with all property in now in my sole name, including the house in Spondon. The Spondon property was put into my name in November. I want to move. I understand that there is a Mortgage Lenders six month 'rule', which means that my property ownership will be considered the same way as though I had purchased the property in November. Will no one buy the property for half a year?
The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ handbook obliges conveyancers to: "report to us immediately if the owner or registered proprietor has been registered for less than six months." Technically you could be impacted by that. How sensible a view banks take of it, depend on the mortgage company as this obligation is chiefly there to capture subsales or the wholesaling and assigning of property.
We had instructed solicitors with offices in Spondon on the Santander solicitor panel. They have just billed me a separate charge for the legal aspects of the Santander mortgage. Is this a supplemental conveyancing fee specified by Santander?
Unfortunately, so long as it is in their Terms and Conditions or Quote then yes your solicitor may levy a fee for this. The charge is not set by Santander but by your Spondon solicitor. Numerous firms on the Santander panel will charge ’dealing with mortgage’ fee but many firms incorporate it on their overall fee.
After much negotiation I have agreed a price on a house in Spondon. My mortgage broker pressured me to appoint their lawyer. I paid an advanced payment of £175. A couple of days later, the conveyancer called me to say that they were not on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?
You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Kent Reliance panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.
A relative advised me that if I am buying in Spondon I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?
A search of this type is occasionally quoted for as part of the standard Spondon conveyancing searches. It is not a small report of more than thirty pages, listing and detailing important information about Spondon around the property and the people living there. It includes an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the Spondon Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the type of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average Property Price, Crime statistics, Local Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful information concerning Spondon.
I used Wolstenholmes a few years ago for my conveyancing in Spondon. Now, I need my documents but cannot find the solicitor. What do I do?
Do contact the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to assist in tracing your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Spondon of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously retained, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.
I opted to have a survey completed on a property in Spondon in advance of instructing conveyancers. I have been informed that there is a flying freehold element to the property. Our surveyor advised that some lenders may not issue a loan on such a property.
It varies from the lender to lender. Lloyds has different requirements for example to Nationwide. If you call us we can look into this further via the appropriate mortgage company. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Spondon. Conveyancing may be slightly more expensive based on your lender's requirements.
I am hoping to put an offer on a small detached house that appears to tick a lot of boxes, at a reasonable figure which is making it all the more appealing. I have just discovered that the title is leasehold as opposed to freehold. I am assuming that there are issues buying a house with a leasehold title in Spondon. Conveyancing solicitors have not yet been instructed. Will my lawyers set out the risks of buying a leasehold house in Spondon ?
Most houses in Spondon are freehold rather than leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local solicitor who is familiar with the area who can help the conveyancing process. it is apparent that you are purchasing in Spondon so you should seriously consider looking for a Spondon conveyancing practitioner and be sure that they have experience in advising on leasehold houses. As a matter of priority you will need to check the unexpired lease term. As a leaseholder you will not be at liberty to do whatever you want to the property. The lease will likely included provisions for example requiring the landlord’spermission to carry out changes to the property. You may also be required to pay a maintenance charge towards the maintenance of the communal areas where the property is part of an estate. Your conveyancer should advise you fully on all the issues.
Leasehold Conveyancing in Spondon - Sample of Queries before buying
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How many years are left on the lease? The answer will be useful as a) areas may result in problems in the block as the common areas may start to deteriorate where repairs are not paid for b) if the leaseholders have a dispute with the running of the building you will need to know about it Is there a share of the freehold?