My Conveyancer in St Helens is not listed on the Bank of Ireland Conveyancing Panel. Can I still retain my prefered solicitor notwithstanding that they are not on the Bank of Ireland list of approved lawyers?
The limited options available to you here include:
- Complete the purchase with your existing St Helens lawyers but Bank of Ireland will need to use a solicitor on their list of acceptable firms. This will inevitably rack up the overall legal charges as well as cause delays.
- Find an alternative practitioner to act in the conveyancing, remembering to check they are Persuade your lawyer to use their best endeavours to join the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel
A colleague advised me that in buying a property in St Helens there could be various restrictions preventing external changes to the property. Is this right?
We are aware of anumerous of properties in St Helens which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to perform external changes. Part of the conveyancing in St Helens should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.
I can not fathom if my bank requires a lease extension. I have called my St Helens building society branch on a couple of occasions and was told they are content with the situation and they will lend. My St Helens conveyancing solicitor - who is on the bank conveyancing panel- telephoned and was told they refuse to lend in accordance with their specific requirements. Who do I believe?
Your conveyancing practitioner has to comply with the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook section two requirements for your bank. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that the mortgage company will go ahead, your lawyer has no choice but to refrain from exchanging contract and committing you to the purchase. We would suggest that you ask the bank to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the number of years left on the lease.
I am due to exchange contracts on my flat. I had a double glazing fitted in December 2010, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My buyer's mortgage company, Bank of Ireland are being a right pain. The St Helens solicitor who is on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel is recommending indemnity insurance as a solution but Bank of Ireland are insisting on a building regulation certificate. Why do Bank of Ireland have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?
It is probably the case that Bank of Ireland have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Bank of Ireland may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing was correctly and safely installed. The indemnity insurance merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.
Just had an offer accepted on a new build flat in St Helens. Conveyancing is a frightening process at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. Can you give me some examples of some of the questions asked in new build legal work.
Set out below is a sample of a selection of leasehold new build questions that you can expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in St Helens
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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. The Lease must contain a provision on behalf of the Vendor to pay the service charges in respect of unoccupied units in order to ensure that all services can be provided. Please supply evidence that the form of Lease proposed has been approved by the Land Registry. 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. The Vendor must covenant to keep unsold units in good repair until long leases are granted therefore.
I need to appoint a conveyancing solicitor for residential conveyancing in St Helens. I happened to chance upon a site which seems to have the ideal answer If there is a chance to get all the legals completed via web that would be preferable. Do I need to be wary? What are the potential pitfalls?
As usual with these online conveyancers you need to read ALL the small print - did you notice the extra charge for dealing with the mortgage?
I have recently realised that I have Fifty years unexpired on my lease in St Helens. I now wish to get lease extension but my freeholder is can not be found. What are my options?
If you meet the appropriate requirements, 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. You will be obliged to prove that you have made all reasonable attempts to find the lessor. On the whole a specialist should be helpful to conduct investigations and to produce a report to be accepted by the court as proof that the freeholder is indeed missing. It is wise to seek advice from a conveyancer in relation to investigating the landlord’s disappearance and the vesting order request to the County Court covering St Helens.
I invested in buying a 1 bedroom flat in St Helens, conveyancing was carried out half a dozen years ago. Can you let me have an estimate of the premium that my landlord can legally expect in return for granting a renewal of my lease? Comparable flats in St Helens with over 90 years remaining are worth £211,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 levied per year. The lease terminates on 21st October 2092
With just 68 years unexpired the likely cost is going to span between £9,500 and £11,000 plus plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.
The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to provide the actual costs without more detailed investigations. You should not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be additional issues that need to be considered and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not move forward placing reliance on this information without first getting professional advice.
How and when do I incur the Stamp Duty Land Tax chargeable for my St Helens house purchase?
Your conveyancing practitioner will fill out a Land Transaction Return Form for you during your St Helens conveyancing transaction for signature. After completion your property lawyer will submit your STL application to the Tax Authorities and - assuming they have the funds - pay any Stamp Duty payable for you.