My mortgage broker has asked me for my St Giles law firm’s panel member for the Santander conveyancing panel. Can you suggest how I obtain this. I have e-mailed my local St Giles branch but they have not responded to me.
Have you tried speaking to your St Giles property lawyer about this?. They should have a central record lender panel numbers.
The deeds to our home can not be found. The conveyancers who dealt with the conveyancing in St Giles 4 years ago have long since closed. What do I do?
Assuming the title is registered the information relating to your ownership will be recorded by HMLR under a Title Number. It is possible to execute a search at the Land Registry, find your property and order up to date copies of the property title for less than a fiver. If the title is Leasehold then the Land Registry will in most cases retain a file duplicate of the Registered Lease and again, a copy can be retrieved for twenty pounds.
About to purchase a new build flat in St Giles. Conveyancing is daunting at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. What sort of enquires would be asked in new build legal work.
Here is a sample of a selection of leasehold new build questions that you should expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in St Giles
-
Please supply a car parking plan. Has the Lease plan been approved by the Land Registry and if not when will they be lodged for this purpose? Please provide evidence that the form of Lease proposed has been approved by the Land Registry. Where service of notices and proceedings can be at the property demised please confirm that this can be amended to include simultaneous services at the Lessees’ solicitors’ offices where the Lessee from time to time is not resident in the UK - such solicitors may be varied by notice in writing to the Landlord from time to time but otherwise will be as previously specified. Where there is an Undertaking being granted there is the risk of forfeiture of the Headlease subject to relief if one or more of the Underlessees are willing to accept the original Head Lessee’s obligations as otherwise relief will be denied to the Underlessees. The only alternatives are the Head Lessor agreeing not to forfeit the Headlease or the Head Lessee guaranteeing to the Underlessees that it will not be in breach of the Headlease.
I am looking for a ground for flat up to £245,000 and identified one close by in St Giles I like with open areas and station nearby, the downside is that it only has 61 years unexpired on the lease. I can't really find anything else in St Giles for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error acquiring a lease with such few years left?
If you require a mortgage the shortness of the lease will likely be problematic. Reduce the offer by the expected lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing owner has owned the premises for at least 2 years you can ask them to start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the current lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor concerning this matter.
I'm refinancing my current home to a buy to let mortgage with Alliance & Leicester and I will use the ballance of the raised equity towards further house. The area we are looking at is St Giles. Will your solicitors be able to act for both sets of banks and link together the conveyances?
Make use of our search tool on this page to be sure that the lawyers are approved by both banks. Having checked that they are the lawyer should be able to simultaneously deal with the two transactions but you should have a chat with you solicitor and make clear your expectations and requirements.
Do you have any advice for leasehold conveyancing in St Giles with the intention of saving time on the sale process?
- Much of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in St Giles can be reduced if you instruct lawyers the minute you market your property and ask them to collate the leasehold information which will be required by the buyers’ conveyancers. If you have carried out any alterations to the residence would they have required Landlord’s permission? Have you, for example laid down wooden flooring? Most leases in St Giles state that internal structural alterations or addition of wooden flooring necessitate a licence from the Landlord approving such works. If you fail to have the approvals to hand do not communicate with the landlord without checking with your lawyer before hand. Some St Giles leases require Licence to Assign from the landlord. If this is the case, you should place the estate agents on notice to make sure that the purchasers put in hand bank and professional references. The bank reference will need to confirm that the buyers are financially capable of paying the yearly service charge and the actual amount of the service charge should be quoted in the bank’s letter. You will therefore need to provide your estate agents with the actual amount of the service charge so that they can pass this information on to the buyers or their solicitors. You believe that you know the number of years left on your lease but it would be wise to double-check via your solicitors. A buyer’s conveyancer will be unlikely to recommend their client to proceed with the purchase of a leasehold property the remaining number of years is under 80 years. In the circumstances it is important at an as soon as possible that you consider whether the lease term for your property needs extending. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your premises on the market for sale. If you have had any disputes with your freeholder or managing agents it is essential that these are resolved prior to the flat being marketed. The purchasers and their solicitors will be nervous about purchasing a flat where a dispute is unresolved. You may have to bite the bullet and discharge any arrears of service charge or resolve the dispute prior to completion of the sale. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled prior to the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You will still have to reveal details of the dispute to the purchasers, but it is clearly preferable to reveal the dispute as historic as opposed to ongoing.
Despite our best endeavours, we have been unsuccessful in seeking a lease extension in St Giles. Can this matter be resolved via the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal?
Where there is a absentee freeholder or where there is disagreement about the premium for a lease extension, under the relevant legislation you can apply to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) to arrive at the price.
An example of a Lease Extension decision for a St Giles premises is Flat 89 Trinity Court Grays Inn Road in February 2013. the Tribunal found that the premium to be paid by the tenant on the grant of a new lease, in accordance with section 56 and Schedule 13 to the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 should be £36,229. This case related to 1 flat. The number of years remaining on the existing lease(s) was 66.8 years.