Is the fact that my solicitor in Staffordshire is not identified on my mortgage company's conveyancing panel that there is a problem with the standard of the firm’s conveyancing?
It would not be wise to jump to that conclusion. There are all sorts of perfectly plausible explanations. Just recently a report by the solicitors regulator revealed 76% of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The top 5 reasons are as follows: (1) low volume of transactions (2) the solicitor is a sole practitioner (3) as part of the HSBC panel reduction (4) regulatory contact by SRA (5) accidental removal. If you are concerned you should contact the Staffordshire conveyancing firm and ask them why they are no longer on the approved list for your lender.
I am need of leasehold conveyancing for an apartment in a fairly new development (five years built) in Staffordshire. 95% of the flats are already sold. Is it really necessary to order conveyancing searches as part of conveyancing in Staffordshire?
Conveyancing Searches are a critical link in the Staffordshire conveyancing process. There are numerous companies who offer Staffordshire conveyancing searches, as well direct from the local authority. These are generally termed personal search companies and they produce, not surprisingly, personal searches. Nevertheless, all Local Authority Search conveyancing products have one thing in common - they must secure their information from the local authoritative source.
As someone unfamiliar with conveyancing in Staffordshire what’s your top tip you can impart for the legal transfer of property in Staffordshire
Not many law firms or advisers will tell you this but conveyancing in Staffordshire or throughout England and Wales is an adversarial experience. Put another way, when it comes to conveyancing there is an abundance of room for confrontation between you and others involved in the house moving process. E.g., the vendor, estate agent and even potentially the mortgage company. Appointing a law firm for your conveyancing in Staffordshire an important selection as your conveyancer is your adviser, and is the ONE party in the process whose responsibility is to look after your best interests and to keep you safe.
We are witnessing a definite ongoing adversarial element to conveyancing- someone has to be blamed for the process taking so long. We recommend that you must always trust your lawyer ahead of all other players when it comes to the legal assignment of property.
My colleague recommended that where I am purchasing in Staffordshire I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. What does it cover?
This is a search is occasionally quoted for as part of the standard Staffordshire conveyancing searches. It is a large document of more than thirty pages, listing and detailing important information about Staffordshire around the property and the people living there. It includes an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the Staffordshire Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the type of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average House Prices, Crime details, Staffordshire Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful information regarding Staffordshire.
Due to the guidance of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a house in Staffordshire before retaining conveyancers. I have been informed that there is a flying freehold overhang to the house. Our surveyor advised that some banks tend not issue a mortgage on such a property.
It varies from the lender to lender. HSBC has different instructions from Birmingham Midshires. If you e-mail us we can look into this further via the appropriate mortgage company. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Staffordshire. Conveyancing may be slightly more expensive based on your lender's requirements.
I am in need of some leasehold conveyancing in Staffordshire. Before I set the wheels in motion I want to be sure as to the remaining lease term.
Assuming the lease is registered - and 99.9% are in Staffordshire - then the leasehold title will always include the basic details of the lease, namely the date; the term; and the original parties. From a conveyancing perspective such details then enable any prospective buyer and lender to confirm that any lease they are looking at is the one relevant to that title. For any other purpose, such as confirming how long the term was granted for and calculating what is left, then the register should be sufficient on it's own.
Leasehold Conveyancing in Staffordshire - A selection of Questions you should consider Prior to Purchasing
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What is the annual service fee and ground rent? Who are the managing agents? Its a good idea to find out as much as possible concerning the company managing the building as they will either make your life much easier or much more difficult. As the proprietor of a leasehold property you will be at the mercy of the managing agents both financially and when it comes to every day matters like the cleanliness of the common parts. Ask other people what they think of them. In conclusion, find out the dates that the service charges are due to the relevant party and precisely what it includes.