Completed the sale of my flat in St Austell last August yet the purchaser is Skype messaging daily to moan that her conveyancer needs to hear from mysolicitor. What are the post completion sale legalities now that I have sold?
After completion of your disposal your lawyer should forward the transfer deeds and all additional paperwork to the buyer’s conveyancer. Depending on the transaction, your lawyer should also send confirmation that the legal charge in favour of the lender has been discharged to the purchasers lawyers. There are no post completion requirements peculiar conveyancing in St Austell.
I am buying a new build flat in St Austell. How practical is it for me to do the conveyancing?
Leaving aside the complexities and merits of DIY conveyancing in St Austell you will have to appoint a solicitor on your bank's conveyancing panel to look after their interests. Most people therefore find it easier to let the solicitor act for them and the lender. Furthermore there is minimal cost savings to be made in you doing conveyancing for yourself and another lawyer conducting the conveyancing for the lender. Please feel free to use the search tool to find a lawyer on your lender panel in St Austell.
I am planning to move house in September. Does my conveyancing solicitor call the removal company on the day of completion. Incidentally, can you recommend a removal company in St Austell. Conveyancing lawyer was found prior to coming across your page.
On the day of completion you will need to collect the keys from the property agent however this can only be done when the sellers conveyancers confirm to the agent that the monies to complete are in and the keys can be passed over. After that you can inform the removal company that you are ready to move in. We are not in a position to suggest a particular removal organisation but can help you choose a residential property solicitor in St Austell or a lawyer with expertise in conveyancing in St Austell.
I am purchasing a property in St Austell. An unusual aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Nottingham have issued a mortgage offer so presumably this is not a concern to them. Why is my solicitor raising questions about the panel?
Given that your lender is Nottingham your lawyer must check the formal requirements contained in Section 2 of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Nottingham. The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook sets out minimum specifications for solar panel roof-space leases, and conveyancing practitioners are required to report to Nottingham where a lease does not comply with these specifications. The specifications relate to the installation of panels on properties nationwide and is not isolated to St Austell.
I have instructed a St Austell conveyancer having made sure that they are on the UBS conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?
UBS will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually UBS will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. Your conveyancing practitioner will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by your St Austell postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with UBS, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in St Austell.
How does conveyancing in St Austell differ for newly converted properties?
Most buyers of new build premises in St Austell come to us having been asked by the builder to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the premises is finished. This is because developers in St Austell usually buy the real estate, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct property lawyers as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are used to new build conveyancing in St Austell or who has acted in the same development.
Is it possible to switch conveyancer as I have to find one who is on the Godiva Mortgages Ltd conveyancing panel. I was using a high street conveyancing solicitor in St Austell five minutes from me but he is not accepted by Godiva Mortgages Ltd
It would be our pleasure to assist you find a conveyancing solicitor in St Austell on the Godiva Mortgages Ltd panel. Please note that the law firms that we work with do not pay us commission if you instruct them and are regulated by the SRA who regulate all conveyancing solicitors in St Austell. In making use of the find a conveyancing solicitor tool on this page, you can compare and instruct different solicitors and conveyancers both nationally and in St Austell.
I am a negotiator for a long established estate agent office in St Austell where we have witnessed a few leasehold sales jeopardised as a result of short leases. I have received inconsistent advice from local St Austell conveyancing firms. Could you clarify whether the vendor of a flat can commence the lease extension process for the purchaser on completion of the sale?
As long as the seller has been the owner for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to kick-start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. The benefit of this is that the proposed purchaser need not have to wait 2 years for a lease extension. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment has to be done prior to, or at the same time as completion of the disposal of the property.
Alternatively, it may be possible to extend the lease informally by agreement with the landlord either before or after the sale. If you are informally negotiating there are no rules and so you cannot insist on the landlord agreeing to grant an extension or transferring the benefit of an agreement to the buyer.
Leasehold Conveyancing in St Austell - Examples of Queries before buying
-
Does the lease contain onerous restrictions? Many St Austell leasehold apartments will be liable to pay a service charge for the upkeep of the building levied by the management company. If you acquire the flat you will have to pay this amount, normally quarterly during the year. This can differ from several hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for large purpose-built blocks. In all probability there will be a ground rent to be met annual, this is usually not a large amount, say around £50-£100 but you need to check it because on occasion it can be many hundreds of pounds. If a St Austell lease has less than 80 years it will have adverse implications on the marketability of the flat. It is worth checking with your lender that they are happy with the length of the lease. A short lease means that you will almost definitely have to extend the lease at some point and you need to have some idea of what this would cost. Remember, in most cases you would need to own the property for 24 months in order to be entitled to exercise a lease extension.