we are a couple who are hoping to buy a 1 bedroom flat in Swaffham with a loan from Barclays .We like our Swaffham conveyancing solicitor but Barclays advised that her practice is not on their approved list of firms. We have to appoint a Barclays panel firm or retain our local solicitor and fork out for a Barclays panel lawyer to act for them. We feel as though this is unjust; is there anything we can do?
Unfortunately,no. The home loan offered to you contains various provisions, a common one being that conveyancers must be on the Barclays approved list. in the past, most banks had large numbers of solicitors on their panels: a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. A further alternative is for your lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel for Barclays
My father advised me that in purchasing a property in Swaffham there could be various restrictions prohibiting external changes to the property. Is this right?
We are aware of a number of properties in Swaffham which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to execute external variations. Part of the conveyancing in Swaffham should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.
We had selected solicitors located in Swaffham on the Clydesdale solicitor approved list. They have just billed me a separate charge for the legal aspects of the Clydesdale mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee set by Clydesdale?
As unfair as it may seem, as long as it’s in their Terms of Engagement or Quote then yes your conveyancer may levy a fee for this. The fee is not dictated by Clydesdale but by your Swaffham solicitor. Numerous firms on the Clydesdale panel will charge ’dealing with mortgage’ fee but many practices include it on their overall fee.
After weeks of negotiation I have agreed a price on a house in Swaffham. My mortgage broker suggested a conveyancing practitioner. I paid an upfront payment of £225. A few days later, the conveyancer called me to say that they were not on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?
You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Clydesdale panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.
What can a local search inform me regarding the property my wife and I purchasing in Swaffham?
Swaffham conveyancing often starts with the ordering local authority searches directly from your local Authority or through a personal search organisations for example Searchflow The local search is essential in every Swaffham conveyancing purchase; that is if you wish to avoid any nasty surprises after you move into your property. The search should provide data on, amongst other things, details on planning applications relevant to the property (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 subject sections.
The deeds to our home are lost. The conveyancers who conducted the conveyancing in Swaffham 5 years ago have long since closed. Will I be able to sell the house?
Gone are the days when you need to have the physical official documentation to establish that you are the owner of your registered land or property, as the Land Registry have everything they need in a digital format.
I am in need of some leasehold conveyancing in Swaffham. Before I get started I require certainty as to the number of years remaining on the lease.
If the lease is registered - and most are in Swaffham - 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.
Swaffham Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Sample of Queries before buying
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What is the the remaining lease term? Many Swaffham leasehold flats will be liable to pay a service charge for the upkeep of the block levied by the freeholder. Should you buy the apartment you will have to pay this liability, usually in instalments accross the year. This may vary from several hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for buildings with lifts and large communal grounds. In all probability there will be a rentcharge to be met annual, ordinarily this is not a exorbitant figure, say around £50-£100 but you should to check as occasionally it can be prohibitively expensive. The answer will be useful as a) areas could cause problems in the building as the communal areas may start to deteriorate where services remain unpaid b) if the leaseholders have an issue with the running of the building you will need to have all the details
My partner and I about to exchange on the purchase a house in Swaffham but as a consequence of wreckage from the recent storms I have negotiated compensation from the current proprietors of four thousand pounds in the form of a deduction in the price. I had intended this to be addressed as part of the conveyancing process yet my mortgage company will not agree to this. Should they have been approached?
The lawyer being on a mortgage company approved list is obliged to advise the mortgage company of any amendments to the purchase figure. If you did not allow your property lawyer to disclose the reduction to your mortgage company then they would have no choice but to disinstructing themselves from acting for you and the lender.