Is there a reason why leasehold purchase conveyancing in Stratford costs more?
Stratford leasehold properties involve far more paperwork than a freehold purchase, and therefore takes more time to examine and advise upon.Conveyancing will involve the lease having to be checked which is usually a lengthy document, queries raised to ensure that the covenants and conditions have been observed. If it is a flat there will be a management company in existence and the accounts of this will need to be checked and enquiries raised to ensure it is operating efficiently and that all monies due have been paid by the Seller to the company and if not ensuring that money is paid up to date or the appropriate undertakings obtained.
Are all Stratford Conveyancing Quality Solicitors on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel?
A selection of banks and building societies now make use of the accreditation scheme as the kick off point for Panel membership such as HSBC and Santander. The Law Society’s CQS membership however is no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. That being said,the Council of Mortgage Lenders have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for firms wishing to remain on their approved list of conveyancing solicitors.
My partner and I are in the throws of looking at apartments in Stratford and I am now considering a potential offer. Should I already have a lawyer appointed at this point? I am planning to take a mortgage with RBS.
You should start obtaining conveyancing quotes from solicitors ASAP. Once you decide who you want to use and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and forward their details on to the selling agent. As you are taking out a mortgage with RBS, ask your prospective lawyers if they are on the RBS conveyancing panel otherwise they can't do the mortgage legal work.
At last I have had an offer on a maisonette in Stratford accepted, but there is a chain. The vendors have placed an offer on a property, however it’s not been accepted yet, and are looking at other apartments booked. I have chosen a high street conveyancing solicitor in Stratford. What do I do now? When do I get the mortgage application with Yorkshire BS started?
It is normal to have apprehensions where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to be too out of pocket too early (home loan application is approx one thousand pounds, then survey, Stratford conveyancing search fees, etc). First, you should check that your property lawyer is on the Yorkshire BS approved list. As to the subsequent stages this very much depends on the uniqueness of your case, desire for the property and on the state of the market. During a rising market many buyers will apply for a home loan with Yorkshire BS and pay for the valuation and only if it comes back ok would they pay their property lawyer to move forward with searches.
I used Stirling Law several years past for my conveyancing in Stratford. Now, I need the documents but cannot find the solicitor. What do I do?
Do 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 Stratford of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously instructed, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.
I've recently found out that there is a flying freehold issue on a house I have offered on two weeks back in what was supposed to be a straight forward, no chain conveyancing. Stratford is where the house is located. Can you offer any advice?
Flying freeholds in Stratford are rare but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside Stratford you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds diligently. Your lender may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Stratford may ascertain that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold premises.
Given that I am about to part with hundreds of thousands of pounds on a two bedroom apartment in Stratford I wish to have a conversation with the lawyer about myconveyancing prior to instructing the firm. Is this something that you can arrange?
We could not agree more - we would be happy to talk to you we do not take any clients on without you liaising with the lawyer who will be conducting your conveyancing in Stratford.There is no ‘factory style conveyancing’ - each client is an important individual, not a matter reference. The solicitors that we put you in touch with believe that the figure you are provided with for residential conveyancing in Stratford should be the figure that you are charged.
I am employed by a long established estate agency in Stratford where we have experienced a few flat sales derailed as a result of leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have received conflicting advice from local Stratford conveyancing solicitors. Please can you clarify whether the vendor of a flat can start the lease extension formalities for the purchaser on completion of the sale?
As long as the seller has owned the lease for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. This means that the proposed purchaser need not have to sit tight for 2 years to extend their lease. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment needs to be completed before, or at the same time as completion of the disposal of the property.
Alternatively, it may be possible to extend the lease informally by agreement with the landlord either before or after the sale. If you are informally negotiating there are no rules and so you cannot insist on the landlord agreeing to grant an extension or transferring the benefit of an agreement to the buyer.
I have tried to negotiate informally with with my landlord for a lease extension without getting anywhere. Can the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal decide on such matters? Can you recommend a Stratford conveyancing firm to help?
Where there is a missing landlord or where there is dispute about the premium for a lease extension, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 it is possible to make an application to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal to assess the premium.
An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement decision for a Stratford residence is 12 Nutfield Road in July 2014. the Tribunal judged that the price to be paid by the applicants for the freehold interest should be £19,572 This case was in relation to 2 flats. The remaining number of years on the lease was 72.02 years.