I am nearing exchange of contracts for my apartment in St Annes and the estate agent has just e-mailed to advise that the buyers are changing their property lawyer. The excuse is that the lender will only deal with solicitors on their approved list. Why would a big named lender only deal with specific lawyers rather the firm that they want to choose for their conveyancing in St Annes ?
Banks have always had an approved set of law firms that can act for them, but in the last few years big names such as Nationwide, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have worked with them for more than 15 years.
Banks justify this action to a rise in fraud as the reason for the reduction – criteria have been stiffened as a smaller panel is easier to maintain. No lender will say how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society says it is being contacted daily by practices that have been removed from panels. Some are unaware that they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyers' case. Your buyers are not going to have any impact on this.
Can the conveyancing practitioners to be found on your site execute auction conveyancing in St Annes?
There are a few auction practitioners we can put you in touch with those specialising in auction conveyancing. St Annes is one of the many areas of where our lawyers are based.
The St Annes conveyancing solicitors that I appointed last week on my house acquisition in St Annes have without warning closed. I chose them because I needed a solicitor on the Coventry BS conveyancing panel and my previous St Annes lawyer was not. I issued them a cheque for two hundred pounds in advance. What are my options?
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 the problems encountered. 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 Coventry BS 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 should be in a position to assist.
My wife and I buying a 4 bedroom semi-detached house in St Annes. The intention is to carry out an extension to the side at the property.Will legal due diligence on the property involve investigations to determine if these works are allowed?
Your solicitor will check the deeds as conveyancing in St Annes will occasionally reveal restrictions in the title documents which prevent certain works or necessitated the consent of a 3rd party. Many works call for local authority planning permissions and approval under the building regulations. Some areas are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which often prevent or impact extensions. It would be prudent to check these things with a surveyor prior to committing yourself to a purchase.
Can I be sure that the St Annes conveyancing solicitor on the Leeds Building Society panel is any good?
When it comes to conveyancing in St Annes obtaining recommendations is a sensible start. Before you go ahead, check if they offer a no sale no fee offer. Also, you often get what you pay for - a firm which quotes more, will often provide a better service than one advertising the lowest fees. We would always advise that you speak with the lawyer conducting your transaction.
I have decided to exercise my right to buy my property in St Annes off the council. I have a mortgage agreed with HSBC. Conveyancing is new to me. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should have one. Any advice?
It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with HSBC, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the HSBC conveyancing panel.
There are only Fifty years remaining on my lease in St Annes. I now want to extend my lease but my freeholder is missing. What should I do?
If you qualify, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can submit an application to the County Court for for permission to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will mean that your lease can be extended by the Court. However, you will be required to demonstrate that you have made all reasonable attempts to find the lessor. For most situations a specialist may be useful to conduct investigations and to produce an expert document to be accepted by the court as proof that the freeholder is indeed missing. It is wise to seek advice from a solicitor in relation to investigating the landlord’s absence and the application to the County Court covering St Annes.
I purchased a studio flat in St Annes, conveyancing having been completed in 2000. Can you please calculate a probable premium for a statutory lease extension? Comparable properties in St Annes with a long lease are worth £216,000. The ground rent is £50 levied per year. The lease ends on 21st October 2095
With 70 years unexpired we estimate the premium for your lease extension to span between £9,500 and £11,000 plus professional fees.
The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs without more detailed investigations. You should not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be other concerns that need to be considered and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you move forward based on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.
Am in the process of purchasing my 1st home in St Annes. Conveyancing solicitor already appointed. The broker pointed out that a survey is not appropriate as the property was only constructed twenty two years ago.
As the bare minimum you need a Home Buyer's Report. Given the property was built more than a decade ago the property will not benefit from a warranty, so you don't want to take a risk. Where a property of this age shows no signs of problems a Home Buyer's report could be enough. They will highlight any obvious issues and recommend further investigation if appropriate. If there are any indications of problems obtain a full structural survey.