Please help. My St Mellons solicitor is informing me me that she is duty bound toorder St Mellons conveyancing searches becausethe firm are on the Virgin Moneyapproved lawyer panel. Is this really necessary?
Unfortunately both you and your lawyer have little choice here. As you are taking a home loan with a mortgage company your property lawyer has to comply with their conditions as set out in their version of the CML Conveyancing Handbook. Your lawyer would have previously signed the Terms and Conditions of your bank’s conveyancing panel appointment which obliges them to follow the CML Handbook specifications . Even if you were a cash buyer you would be ill advised not to carry out St Mellons conveyancing searches.
What is your number one tip for choosing a conveyancing solicitor in St Mellons
It would be unwise to be swayed by the lowest St Mellons conveyancing fees. 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.
I am the only beneficiary of my late mum's estate with all property in now in my sole name, including the my former home in St Mellons. The St Mellons property was put into my name in August. I plan to dispose of the property. I do know about the Mortgage Lenders 6 month 'rule', meaning my property ownership could be regarded the same way as though I had purchased the house in August. Do I have to wait half a year to sell?
The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ handbook instructs conveyancers to: "report to us immediately if the owner or registered proprietor has been registered for less than six months." By the strict wording you could be affected by that. How sensible a view lenders take of it, depend on the mortgage company as this provision is chiefly there to identify the purchase and immediately sell or the quick reselling of property.
The formalities of my purchase has taken place for my property in St Mellons. Conveyancing was of an acceptable standard but I would like to complain about the lender. How does one go about formally complaining?
Most banks and building societies have complaints procedures. Your first port of call should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Services Department at head office. Ordinarily complaints to a lender are resolved very quickly. If you feel the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service, South Quay Plaza, 183 Marsh Wall, London E14 9SR who will take matters further.
What will a local search reveal about the property my wife and I buying in St Mellons?
St Mellons conveyancing often starts with the submitting local authority searches directly from your local Authority or through a personal search company for example PSG The local search plays an important part in many a St Mellons conveyancing purchase; as long as you don’t want any nasty surprises after you move into your property. The search should provide information on, amongst other things, details on planning applications relevant to the premises (whether granted or refused), building control history, any enforcement action, restrictions on permitted development, nearby road schemes, contaminated land and radon gas; in all a total of thirteen topic sections.
It has been 3 months since my purchase conveyancing in St Mellons completed. I have checked the Land Registry website which shows that I paid £175,000 when infact I paid £170,000. Why the discrepancy?
The price paid figure is taken from the application to register the purchase. It is the figure included in the Transfer (the legal deed which transfers the residence from one person to the other) and referred to as the 'consideration' or purchase price. You can report an error in the price paid figure using the LR online form. In most cases errors result from typos so at first glance the figure. Do report it so they can double check and advise.
Over the last few months I have been searching for a flat up to £195,000 and identified one close by in St Mellons I like with a park and station in the vicinity, the downside is that it's only got 52 years unexpired on the lease. I can't really find anything else in St Mellons for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error buying a short lease?
Should you need a mortgage the remaining unexpired lease term may be a potential deal breaker. Discount the offer by the anticipated lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the existing proprietor has owned the property for a minimum of 2 years you can ask them to start the process of the extension and pass it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the existing lease term with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor regarding this matter.
I have selected a St Mellons conveyancing solicitor for our home move (novice purchasers) and have picked up in the terms and conditions that they are not overseen by the FCA. Need I be worried or is that the norm with conveyancing practitioner?
We can't see why they should be. Most conveyancing practitioner don't lend money. You should check that they are governed by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, who set stringent laws covering funds deposited by them.