Me and my partner are due to exchange buying a property in St Johns but as a result of wreckage from the recent storms I have was able negotiate compensation from the owner of £2k in the form of a adjustment in the price. This was going to be addressed as part of the conveyancing process but Principality are not allowing this. Why were they involved?
The solicitor being on the Principality conveyancing panel is obliged to advise Principality of any variations to the purchase price. If you prohibit your conveyancer to notify the reduction to Principality then they would have to discontinue acting for you. In addition, Principality and you would have to appoint a new lawyer for your conveyancing in St Johns.
Do I need to visit the offices of the solicitor to sign the legal charge? If so, I will instruct a firm who offer conveyancing in St Johns so that I can attend their offices if necessary.
As opposed to twenty years ago, the vast majority mortgage companies no longer oblige their conveyancing panel solicitor to witness the mortgagors signature. It will still be necessary for you to provide identification documents and there are still distinct benefits to using a local ayer, in your situation a conveyancing solicitor in St Johns.
If you had a top tip for selecting a conveyancing solicitor in St Johns what would it be?
Do not opt for the cheapest St Johns conveyancing costs illustration. You really do get what you pay for when it comes to conveyancing solicitors. A cheap quote may mean that the conveyancing solicitor is handling a lot of jobs at one time and you won’t get the quality of service and the attention that you need. It is, however, wise to use a conveyancer who has a fixed fee on a no sale, no fee basis. This way, you go into the conveyancing with your eyes wide open.
We have agreed to purchase a house in St Johns. One unusual aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Yorkshire BS 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 you are obtaining a mortgage with Yorkshire BS your lawyer must follow the formal requirements contained in Part two of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Yorkshire BS. The CML Handbook stipulates minimum conditions for solar panel roof-space leases, and conveyancers are required to report to Yorkshire BS where a lease does not satisfy these conditions. The conditions relate to the installation of panels on properties in England and Wales and is not limited to St Johns.
I have paid off my mortgage with Kent Reliance. I assume I don't need a St Johns lawyer on the Kent Reliance panel to remove the mortgage at the Land Registry. Am I right?
If you have finished paying off your Kent Reliance mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the Kent Reliance mortgage from the register. Kent Reliance, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:
- but are not moving to another property
- where Kent Reliance has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
- Kent Reliance has instructed the Land Registry to do so
We are selling our home in St Johns and the buyers lawyers are claiming that there is a possibility that the property was built on contaminated land. Any local lawyer would know this is not the case. For the life of me I don't know why the purchasers are using a national conveyancing firm as opposed to a conveyancing solicitor in St Johns. We have lived in St Johns for 5 years we know of no issue. Is it a good idea to contact our local Authority to get confirmation that there is no issue.
It would appear that you have a conveyancing lawyer already. Are they able to advise? You should enquire of your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out health insurance to cover that same sickness)
We're novice buyers - agreed a price, but the property agent advised that the vendor will only go ahead if we instruct the agent's chosen lawyers as they need a ‘quick sale’. We would rather use a local conveyancer used to conveyancing in St Johns
It is improbable the owners are behind this. If they want ‘a quick sale', alienating a motivated purchaser is going to damage their objectives. Bypass the agents and go straight to the sellers and make the point that (a)you are keen to buy (b)you are excited to move forward, with finances arranged © you are unencumbered (d) you intend to proceed fast (e)but you intend to use your own,trusted St Johns conveyancing lawyers - not the ones that will provide the estate agent a commission or achieve conveyancing thresholds pre-set by senior management.
What are your top tips when it comes to choosing a St Johns conveyancing firm to deal with our lease extension?
If you are instructing a solicitor for your lease extension (regardless if they are a St Johns conveyancing firm) it is imperative that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We recommend that you make enquires with several firms including non St Johns conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. The following questions might be useful:
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How experienced is the firm with lease extension legislation? Can they put you in touch with clients in St Johns who can give a testimonial?
I inherited a two-bedroom flat in St Johns. Given that I can not reach agreement with the landlord, can the Leasehold valuation Tribunal determine the sum due for the purchase of the freehold?
if there is a absentee landlord or if there is disagreement about the premium for a lease extension, under the relevant statutes you can apply to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal to arrive at the amount due.
An example of a Lease Extension decision for a St Johns flat is 73 Walerand Road in August 2012. the result of the findings of the Tribunal led to a premium to be paid for the extended lease in respect of Flat 73 in the sum of £10,040. The premium applicable in respect of Flat 85 was £5,710. This case related to 2 flats. The number of years remaining on the existing lease(s) was 72 years.