Having been referred to your web site we were about to go ahead with a conveyancing solicitor in The Ridgeway listed on your site but stumbled across some other costs illustrations via the web appear less pricey – how come?
One can find numerous conveyancers advertising theoretically looks to be the cheapest conveyancing in The Ridgeway. Our advice is to give due consideration as to how much you respect your own move to you are willing to be penny wise pound foolish over the standard of the conveyancing. Some embed extras well inside the terms of business. The solicitors that we put forward for conveyancing in The Ridgeway neverbehave this way.
My wife and I are refinancing our maisonette in The Ridgeway with TSB. We have a son 19 who lives with us. Our solicitor has asked us to disclose any adults other than ourselves who reside at the property. The solicitor has now sent a form for our son to sign, giving up any rights in the event that the property is repossessed. I have two concerns (1) Is this form unique to the TSB conveyancing panel as he never had to sign this form when we remortgaged 4 years ago (2) Does our son by signing this extinguish his rights to inherit the property?
On the face of it your lawyer has done nothing wrong as it is established procedure for any occupier who is aged 17 or over to sign the necessary Consent Form, which is purely to state that any rights he has in the property are postponed and secondary to TSB. This is solely used to protect TSB if the property were re-possessed so that in such circumstances, your son would be legally obliged to leave. It does not impact your son’s right to inherit the apartment. Please note that if your son were to inherit and the mortgage in favour of TSB had not been discharged, he would be liable to take over the loan or pay it off, but other than that, there is nothing stopping him from keeping the property in accordance with your will or the rules of intestacy.
Can you clarify what the consequences are if my solicitor is removed from the TSB Solicitor panel ahead of completing my conveyancing in The Ridgeway?
First, this is a very rare occurrence. In most cases even where a law firm is removed off of a panel the lender would allow the completion to go ahead as the lender would appreciate the difficulties that they would place you in if you have to instruct a new solicitor days before completion. In a worst case scenario where the lender insists that you instruct a new firm then it is possible for a very good lawyer to expedite the conveyancing albeit that you may pay a significant premium for this. The analogous situation is where a buyer instructs a lawyer, exchanges contracts and the law firm is shut down by a regulator such as the SRA. Again, in this situation you can find lawyers who can troubleshoot their way to bring the conveyancing to a satisfactory conclusion - albeit for a fee.
My wife and I purchased a renovated Georgian house in The Ridgeway. Conveyancing solicitor acted for me and Barclays Direct. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and there are a couple of entries: the first freehold, another for leasehold under the exact same property. I'd like to know for sure, how can I find out??
You need to read the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register as there may be mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in The Ridgeway and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they buy they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with purchasers. You can also enquire as to the position with your conveyancing solicitor who conducted the conveyancing.
How does conveyancing in The Ridgeway differ for new build properties?
Most buyers of new build residence in The Ridgeway approach us having been asked by the builder to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the premises is constructed. This is because new home sellers in The Ridgeway tend to purchase the land, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct conveyancing solicitors as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are accustomed to new build conveyancing in The Ridgeway or who has acted in the same development.
I am thinking of appointing a conveyancing solicitor in The Ridgeway for my purchase. Is it possible to check a firm’s complaints history with the legal regulator?
Members of the public may search for documented Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) decisions resulting from investigations started on or after Jan 2008. Visit Check a solicitor's record. For information about the period before 1 January 2008, or to check a firm's history, phone 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and 09.30 - 18.00 Tuesday. International callers, use +44 (0)121 329 6800. The SRA could recorded telephone calls for training reasons.