Am I correct in assuming that the fact that my conveyancer in Swindon is not on my lender's conveyancing panel that there is a problem with the standard of his conveyancing?
It would not be wise to jump to that conclusion. There are all sorts of perfectly reasonable explanations. A recent report by the solicitors regulator indicated 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 lawyer is a sole practitioner (3) as part of the HSBC panel reduction (4) regulatory contact by SRA (5) accidental removal. Where you are concerned you should simply call the Swindon conveyancing practice and ask them why they are no longer on the approved list for your bank.
I am purchasing a house for cash in Swindon. I have been living for the previous dozen years in Swindon. Conveyancing searches are expensive. As I know the area and road very well must I have all the conveyancing searches?
If you not getting a home loan, then the vast majority of the Swindon conveyancing searches are at your discretion. Your conveyancer will 'advise', perhaps strongly, that you should have searches completed, but she has a professional duty to do this. Do take into account; if you are going to dispose of the house one day, it will be of importance to your prospective purchaser what the searches disclose. On occasion properties with apparent issues can still reveal adverse search results. A competent conveyancing solicitor in Swindon will be able to give you some constructive guidance in this regard.
We are expecting a mortgage offer soon. The bank mentioned the home loan came with free conveyancing. Is the implication that I have to use their panel lawyer as I would much rather appoint a Swindon based conveyancing firm?
You should check but the the likelihood is that allocate you one of their panel conveyancers where you accept the "fee-free" deal. Call the mortgage company to determine if they allow a cash alternative. In the past a few lenders offered a £250 cashback as an alternative in which case you could put that amount towards the cost for your conveyancing solicitor near Swindon.
Due to the encouragement of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a house in Swindon prior to instructing solicitors. I have been told that there is a flying freehold overhang to the house. The surveyor has said that some mortgage companies may refuse to give a mortgage on this type of home.
It depends who your proposed lender is. Santander has different requirements from Halifax. Should you wish to telephone us we can investigate further with the relevant bank. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Swindon. Conveyancing can be more complicated and therefore you should check with your conveyancing solicitor in Swindon to see if the conveyancing costs will increase in light of this.
I’m about to sell my 2 bed flat in Swindon. Conveyancing lawyers have not yet been instructed, but I have recently had a yearly service charge demand – should I leave it to the buyer to sort out?
The sensible thing to do is clear the maintenance contribution as you normally would as all ground rent and maintenance payments should be allotted on completion, so you will be reimbursed by the buyer for the period running from after the completion date to the subsequent invoice date. Most management companies will not acknowledge the buyer unless the service charges have been paid and are up to date, so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. This will smooth the conveyancing process.
Swindon Leasehold Conveyancing - Sample of Questions you should ask Prior to buying
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It would be wise to find out as much as you can regarding the managing agents as they can either make your living at the property much easier or a lot more difficult. Being a leasehold owner you will be at the mercy of the managing agents both financially and when it comes to day to day matters like the tidiness of the common parts. Ask other tenants what they think of their service. On a final note, investigate as to the dates that the service fees are due to the appropriate party and precisely what it includes. You should be aware that where the lease has less than eighty years it will have adverse implications on the value of the property. Check with your lender that they are willing to go ahead with the loan given the lease term. A short lease means that you will most likely have to extend the lease at some point and you need to have some idea of what this will be. Remember, in most cases you will need to own the residence for two years in order to be entitled to extend the lease. Plenty Swindon leasehold flats will have a service charge for maintenance of the block set by the management company. Should you purchase the apartment you will have to pay this charge, usually quarterly throughout the year. This may vary from a few hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for large purpose-built buildings. In all likelihood there will be a rentcharge for you to pay annual, ordinarily this is not a large amount, say about £50-£100 but you need to enquire as sometimes it could be prohibitively expensive.
Our mortgage broker has suggested using their conveyancing practitioner for the conveyancing in Swindon - Is it not simpler better to just instruct them?
It is worth checking if the selling agent is recommending a property lawyer or introducing to a conveyancer. There are plenty of Swindon selling agents who recommend two or three Swindon conveyancing firms purely based on those lawyers offering a great service.