Me and my fiance are acquiring an apartment in Torquay. My Solicitor is not listed on the mortgage company solicitor panel. Am I still permitted to use my Torquay conveyancing solicitor even though they are not on the bank list of approved lawyers?
Your options include
- Carry on with your existing Torquay conveyancer but your lender will undoubtedly retain a solicitor from their approved list. This will result in additional cost together with potential interruption.
- Choose a fresh solicitor to conduct the conveyancing, making sure they are on the mortgage company conveyancing panel.
- Convince your solicitor to do everything possible to get accepted on the lender’s conveyancing panel
Having sold my house in Torquay last October yet the purchaser is telephoning daily complaining that their solicitor needs to hear from mine. What are the post completion sale legalities now that I have sold?
Following your sale your conveyancer should deliver the transfer documentation and all of the paperwork to the buyer’s solicitors. If applicable, your solicitor should also send confirmation that the legal charge in favour of the lender has been redeemed to the buyers conveyancers. There is unlikely to be post completion formalities peculiar conveyancing in Torquay.
A colleague advised me that in buying a property in Torquay there may be various restrictions limiting what one can do in terms of external changes to a property. Is this right?
We are aware of anumerous of properties in Torquay which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to carry out external alterations. Part of the conveyancing in Torquay should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.
Completion of my purchase has taken place for my property in Torquay. Conveyancing was satisfactory but I would like to complain about the lender. How does one go about formally complaining?
All lenders have complaints procedures. Your first point of contact should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Services Department at head office. In most cases complaints to a lender are resolved effectively and efficiently. However if you are not satisfied that the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service, South Quay Plaza, 183 Marsh Wall, London E14 9SR with full details of your complaint.
I've digested plenty of house buying guides, I note that it is considered advisable to get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Torquay solicitor - who is on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. Is that normal?
Virgin Money will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Virgin Money will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. Your conveyancing practitioner will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by your Torquay postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Virgin Money, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Torquay.
I've recently found out that there is a flying freehold element on a house I put an offer in last month in what was supposed to be a straight forward, chain free conveyancing. Torquay is where the house is located. Can you shed any light on this issue?
Flying freeholds in Torquay are rare but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside Torquay you would need to get your solicitor to go through the deeds diligently. Your mortgage company may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Torquay may decide 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 property.
Is it best to appoint a Torquay conveyancing lawyer who is local to the property I am purchasing? I have an old university friend who can conduct the legal formalities but they are based a couple of hundredkilometers away.
The benefit of a high street Torquay conveyancing firm is that you can drop in to execute documents, hand in your identification documents and pester them if necessary. Having local Torquay know how is a plus. That being said nothing is more important than finding someone that will pull out all the stops for you. If if people you trust instructed your friend and they were content that should surpass using an unfamiliar Torquay conveyancing lawyer just because they are Torquay based.
I am in need of some leasehold conveyancing in Torquay. Before diving in I require certainty as to the remaining lease term.
Assuming the lease is registered - and most are in Torquay - 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.
Torquay Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Examples of Questions you should ask Prior to Purchasing
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How many of the leaseholders are in arrears for their maintenance charge payments? Is the freehold owned jointly by the leaseholders? Its a good idea to find out as much as you can regarding the managing agents as they can either make life much easier or uncomfortable. As the owner of a leasehold property you are often in the clutches of the managing agents from a financial perspective and when it comes to day to day matters like the upkeep of the communal areas. Ask prospective neighbours what they think of them. In conclusion, find out the dates that the service charges are due to the managing agents and precisely what it includes.