It is is a decade since I bought my home in Underwood. Conveyancing lawyers have recently been retained on the sale but I can't find my deeds. Will this jeopardise the sale?
You need not be too concerned. First the deeds may be retained by your lender or they could be in the possession of the solicitor who oversaw your purchase. Secondly the likelihood is that the title will be recorded at the land registry and you will be able to prove you own the property by your conveyancing solicitors obtaining up to date copy of the land registers. The vast majority of conveyancing in Underwood involves registered property but in the unlikely event that your property is not registered it is more of a problem but is resolvable.
My wife and I are buying a apartment in Underwood. I might seem paranoid but how we can trust a conveyancer? At some point we will need to send money into their account. What protection do we have from them run away with our monies?
Be assured that all money in a Solicitors client account is 100% safe, and even if your Solicitor ran off with it, the Law Society would reimburse you fully.
Do I select a Licenced Conveyancer or Solicitor for conveyancing in Underwood?
Two types of professional can execute conveyancing in Underwood namely licenced conveyancers or solicitors. The two can administer conveyancing services that you need to complete the sale or acquisition of property. They are both required to carry out Underwood conveyancing on similar quality and guidelines so you can be sure that your conveyancing will be professionally conducted and that all necessary procedures will be correctly followed.
I am selling my flat. I had a double glazing fitted in April 2006, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My buyer's lender, Leeds Building Society are being a right pain. The Underwood solicitor who is on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel is saying indemnity insurance will be fine but Leeds Building Society are requiring a building regulation certificate. Why do Leeds Building Society have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?
It is probably the case that Leeds Building Society have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Leeds Building Society may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing was correctly and safely installed. The indemnity insurance merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.
My wife and I have a semi-detached Victorian property in Underwood. Conveyancing solicitor acted for me and Leeds Building Society. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and there are two entries: one for freehold, the second leasehold with the matching address. Is it worth asking Leeds Building Society to clarify?
You need to read the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for 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 Underwood and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they sell they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with lenders. You can also question the situation with your conveyancing practitioner who conducted the work.
How does conveyancing in Underwood differ for newly converted properties?
Most buyers of new build property in Underwood approach us having been asked by the housebuilder to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the property is constructed. This is because new home sellers in Underwood usually buy the real estate, 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 conveyancers 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 used to new build conveyancing in Underwood or who has acted in the same development.
What tools are available to identify a Underwood law firm on the Britannia conveyancing panel? I have a car and am happy to travel upto 10kilometers to meet the solicitor.
You can use the search on this website. Please choose the mortgage company and your location and you will see a number of Underwood conveyancing lawyers based on proximity. We have listed some Underwood conveyancing firms at the bottom of this page and you can contact them to see if they are on the Britannia member panel
I bought a house in Underwood last 24/3/2025 and to date it is still not registered with HMLR. It is part of a development site and my conveyancing practitioner told me that it may take 12 months to complete the registration formalities. I have called the Land Registry directly and they have informed me the initial application was cancelled due to failure to reply to requisitions. Should I be concerned?
It is your solicitor that you should get in touch with in order to satisfy any questions which have arisen as part of the registration formalities for your Underwood property. Normal Underwood conveyancing practice includes an undertaking on the part of the previous owner’s conveyancer that they will assist in resolving any requisition raised by HMLR so it may be a case of taking action to enforce that undertaking in some way.