My flat in Torfaen is up for sale and I have accepted an offer. Does the lawyer have to be on the Co-operative conveyancing panel in order to deal with paying off my mortgage?
Ordinarily, even if your lawyer is not on the Co-operative conveyancing panel they can still act for you on your sale. It might be that the lender will not release the original deeds (if applicable and increasingly irrelevant) until after the mortgage is paid off. You should speak to your lawyer directly before you start the process though to ensure that there is no problem as lenders are changing their requirements fairly frequently at the moment.
I am assisting my step-mother sell her flat in Torfaen. Does the conveyancing solicitor commission an EPC or do I organise this?
Following the abolition of HIPs, energy assessments remained a compulsory part of selling a house. An EPC should be commissioned before the property is placed on the market. It is not something that lawyers normally arrange. Where you are using a Torfaen conveyancing practitioner they may help arrange EPC’s given their contacts with long established Torfaen providers
is it true that all Torfaen solicitor practices on the Nationwide conveyancing panel are overseen by the SRA?
As a firm of solicitors, in order to be on the Nationwide conveyancing panel they would need to be regulated by the SRA. Some mortgage companies do allow licenced conveyancers on their panel in which case such firms would be overseen by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.
I have a mortgage with Nationwide for my property in Torfaen. Conveyancing has been completed a year ago. If I am intending to rent out my property and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a BTL mortgage or inform Nationwide?
Nationwide must be informed of your intention in advance of renting your property as this is likely to be a breach of Nationwide’s mortgage conditions. It may be that Nationwide will allow you to rent out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact Nationwide directly. You need not do this via a Nationwide conveyancing panel solicitor.
I am close to exchanging contracts on the sale of our house in Torfaen and the buyers lawyers are claiming that there is a possibility that the property was constructed land that was not decontaminated. Any local conveyancer would know that there is no such problem. It does beg the question why the purchasers instructed an internet conveyancing practice rather than a conveyancing solicitor in Torfaen. We have lived in Torfaen for three years we know that this is a non issue. Is it a good idea to contact our local Authority to get clarification that there is no issue.
It sounds as though you may have a conveyancing firm already. Are they able to advise? You need to enquire of your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out life insurance to cover that same illness)
It has been 2 months following my purchase conveyancing in Torfaen completed. I have checked the Land Registry website which shows that I paid £200,000 when infact I paid £180,000. Why the discrepancy?
The price paid figure is taken from the application to register the purchase. It is the figure included in the Transfer (the legal deed which transfers the residence from one person to the other) and referred to as the 'consideration' or purchase price. You can report an error in the price paid figure using the LR online form. In most cases errors result from typos so at first glance the figure. Do report it so they can double check and advise.
How does conveyancing in Torfaen differ for newly converted properties?
Most buyers of new build property in Torfaen contact us having been asked by the seller to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the residence is finished. This is because builders in Torfaen typically acquire the site, 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 property lawyers 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 Torfaen or who has acted in the same development.
In my capacity as executor for the will of my grandfather I am selling a house in Monmouth but reside in Torfaen. My solicitor (who is 250 kilometers awayneeds me to sign a stat dec before the transaction finalising. Could you suggest a conveyancing solicitor in Torfaen who can attest this legal document for me?
Technically speaking you should not need to have the documents attested by a conveyancing solicitor. Ordinarily any notary public or qualified solicitor will do regardless of whether they are based in Torfaen