My partner and I are acquiring our first home. The conveyancing practitioner has e-mailedto ask if we wish to take out supplemental conveyancing searches. Frankly we have no idea as to what's recommended for conveyancing in St Athan
The extent of St Athan conveyancing searches depends primarily on the property, the location, the possibility of any of these risks, your knowledge of the region and risks, your general approach to risk. What is important is that you properly understand what information the searches could provide. You may then decide if you consider that you need that search. If uncertain, ask your solicitor to guide you.
My Solicitor in St Athan is not on the The Mortgage Works Conveyancing Panel. Is it possible for me to use my family solicitor notwithstanding that they are excluded from the The Mortgage Works list of approved lawyers?
Your options are as follows:
- Complete the purchase with your preferred St Athan solicitors but The Mortgage Works will need to instruct a solicitor on their panel. This will inevitably rack up the overall conveyancing charges as well as cause frustration.
- Find a new solicitor to to deal with the conveyancing, remembering to check they are on the The Mortgage Works panel
It has been 3 months since my purchase conveyancing in St Athan completed. I have checked the Land Registry site which shows that I paid £150,000 when infact I paid £170,000. 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.
In my capacity as executor for the estate of my father I am disposing of a residence in Newport but I am based in St Athan. My solicitor (who is 260 miles awayrequires that I sign a statutory declaration before completion. Could you suggest a conveyancing lawyer in St Athan who can attest this legal document for me?
strictly speaking you are unlikely to be required to have the documents witnessed by a conveyancing solicitor. Normally or notary public or qualified solicitor will do regardless of whether they are St Athan based
Last June I purchased a leasehold flat in St Athan. Am I liable to pay service charges relating to a period prior to completion of my purchase?
In a situation where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous owner and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. However, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. A critical element of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to be sure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.
If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).
I bought a studio flat in St Athan, conveyancing formalities finalised March 2011. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Similar properties in St Athan with an extended lease are worth £206,000. The ground rent is £45 levied per year. The lease finishes on 21st October 2091
With just 67 years left to run the likely cost is going to range between £10,500 and £12,000 as well as professional fees.
The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to supply the actual costs without more 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 clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action placing reliance on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.
Builders have put forward a lawyer and I've sought a quote from them. They are almost three hundred pounds cheaper than my own St Athan lawyer. Should I use them?
Developers often have panels of lawyers who expedite matters and who know the seller’s documentation and conveyancing practitioner. As many developers offer an inducement to choose their approved lawyer for this reason, any increased cost can be avoided and a builder will not suggest a conveyancing warehouse and run the risk of having the transaction delayed when they require an exchange within a tight deadline. A counter-argument for not opting for the recommended solicitor is that they may be unwilling to 'push' your interests for fear of alienating the housebuilder. If you worry that this may be the case you should keep with your high street St Athan conveyancing practitioner.