I have given 2 months notice to my existing landlord and must vacate my rented apartment in St John's Wood by the end of next month. Conveyancing for my house purchase is underway. Can I complete in 5 weeks as don't want to have to move into short term accommodation?
It is unwise to provide notice on a rental until exchange of contracts has taken place. If you have not previously done so, contact to your conveyancer and request that they seek the assistance the owners lawyers, try to get a realistic time scale from them that everyone will work towards
My wife and I are purchasing a property in St John's Wood. It might be a silly question but how we can trust a lawyer? On the day of competition we have to put funds into their account. What is the protection we have from them run away with our money?
Be assured that all money in a Solicitors client account is 100% safe, and even if your Solicitor ran off with it, the Law Society would reimburse you fully.
We are getting a further advance on our mortgage from Bank of Ireland as we want to carry out alterations to our property in St John's Wood. Are we obliged to appoint a nearby St John's Wood solicitor on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel to deal with the paperwork?
Bank of Ireland don't usually instruct firms on their approved list of lawyers to deal with such a matter. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Bank of Ireland panel.
I am due to exchange contracts on my flat. I had a double glazing fitted in June 2007, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My purchaser’s lender, Nationwide are being problematic. The St John's Wood solicitor who is on the Nationwide conveyancing panel is saying indemnity insurance will be fine but Nationwide are requiring a building regulation certificate. Why do Nationwide have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?
It is probably the case that Nationwide have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Nationwide 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.
I used Stirling Law several years past for my conveyancing in St John's Wood. Now, I need the documents but the law firm is no longer operating. What do I do?
You should call the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to help locate your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in St John's Wood of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously used, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.
I'm purchasing my first flat in St John's Wood with the aid of help to buy. The developers would not reduce the price so I negotiated £7000 of additionals instead. The house builders rep suggested that I not reveal to my solicitor about this deal as it could affect my loan with Clydesdale. Should I keep quiet?.
All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the developer of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.
Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.
Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.
My father-in-law has suggested that I use his lawyers for conveyancing in St John's Wood. Do I take his recommendation?
There are no two ways about it the best way to select a conveyancing lawyer is to have recommendations from friends or relatives who have actually previously instructed the firm that you are are thinking of instructing.
My wife and I purchased a leasehold flat in St John's Wood. Conveyancing and Skipton Building Society mortgage are in place. A letter has just been received from someone saying they have taken over the reversionary interest in the property. Attached was a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1993. The conveyancing practitioner in St John's Wood who acted for me is not around. What should I do?
The first thing you should do is contact the Land Registry to be sure that this person is indeed the registered owner of the freehold reversion. There is no need to instruct a St John's Wood conveyancing firm to do this as it can be done on-line for less than a fiver. You should note that in any event, even if this is the rightful landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.
I have attempted and failed to negotiate with my landlord for a lease extension without success. Can the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal decide on such matters? Can you recommend a St John's Wood conveyancing firm to assist?
Absolutely. We are happy to put you in touch with a St John's Wood conveyancing firm who can help.
An example of a Lease Extension decision for a St John's Wood premises is Garden Flat 195 Goldhurst Terrace in May 2012. The Tribunal held in accordance with section 48 and Schedule 13 of the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 that the premium for the extended lease should be £60,855.00. This case was in relation to 1 flat. The number of years remaining on the existing lease(s) was 60.16 years.