I have given 2 months notice to my existing landlord and have to be out of my rented flat in Wantage by 13/3/2026. Conveyancing for my house purchase is underway. Can I complete in six weeks as I wish to avoid having to find short term accommodation?
Generally one should not serve notice for your letting until your lawyer suggests that you should. If you have not already done so, notify to your solicitor and request that they chase the other side, try to an acceptable time-line that all parties will aim to achieve
Can you clarify what the consequences are if my solicitor is removed from the Bank of Ireland Solicitor panel ahead of completing my conveyancing in Wantage?
The first thing to point out is that, 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.
I am the single recipient of my late grandmother’s estate with all property in now in my sole name, including the house in Wantage. Conveyancing formalities meant that the Land Registry date was in December. I want to move. I understand that there is a CML 6 month 'rule', meaning my property ownership will be regarded the same way as though I had purchased the property in December. Will no one buy the property for half a year?
The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ handbook mandates conveyancers to: "report to us immediately if the owner or registered proprietor has been registered for less than six months." Technically you may be affected by that. many mortgage companies would take a pragmatic view as this requirement principally exists to pick up on subsales or the quick reselling of properties.
After months of negotiation I have agreed a price on a house in Wantage. My financial adviser suggested a lawyer. I paid an upfront payment of £200. A few days later, the conveyancing practitioner contacted me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?
You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Leeds Building Society panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.
I was told three weeks ago that my mortgage has been agreed to by Virgin Money. Is it usual for Virgin Money to only issue the offer once my solicitor in Wantage is approved on their conveyancing panel? Virgin Money have asked my solicitor to see a copy of their PI Insurance.
Mortgage companies tend not to not issue an offer until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Virgin Money to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.
Me and my brother have a terraced Victorian house in Wantage. Conveyancing lawyer represented me and Bank of Scotland. 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 with the exact same property. Is it worth asking Bank of Scotland to clarify?
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 Wantage and other areas of 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 mortgage companies. You can also check the position with the conveyancing lawyer who conducted the conveyancing.
We're first time buyers - agreed a price, yet the property agent informed us that the seller will only proceed if we instruct the agent's recommended conveyancers as they are insisting on an ‘expedited deal’. Our preferred option is to instruct a high street conveyancer who is familiar with conveyancing in Wantage
We suspect that the owner is unaware of this ultimatum. If they desire ‘a quick sale', taking such a hostile approach to a genuine buyer is counter productive. Bypass the agents and go straight to the sellers and make sure they understand (a)you are keen to buy (b)you are excited to move forward, with finances arranged © you are unencumbered (d) you wish to move quickly (e)however you intend to use your preferred Wantage conveyancing firm - not the ones that will earn their estate agent a commission or achieve conveyancing targets pre-set by corporate headquarters.
Our conveyancer has advised that he intends to complete and exchange simultaneously on the sale of our £350,000 flat in Wantage next Wednesday. The freeholder has quoted £396 for Certificate of Compliance, insurance certificate and 3 years statements of service charge. Is the landlord entitled to charge such fees for a leasehold conveyance in Wantage?
Wantage conveyancing on leasehold apartments more often than not requires the purchaser’s lawyer sending enquiries for the landlord to answer. Although the landlord is under no legal obligation to answer such questions the majority will be willing to do so. They are at liberty to invoice a reasonable charge for responding to questions or supplying documentation. There is no set fee. The average costs for the paperwork that you are referring to is £350, in some situations it is in excess of £800. The management information fee levied by the landlord must be accompanied by a summary of entitlements and obligations in relation to administration charges, without which the charge is technically not due. Reality however dictates that you have no option but to pay whatever is demanded if you want to exchange contracts with the buyer.
I bought a split level flat in Wantage, conveyancing having been completed half a dozen years ago. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Comparable flats in Wantage with over 90 years remaining are worth £260,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £45 per annum. The lease finishes on 21st October 2100
With only 74 years remaining on your lease we estimate the premium for your lease extension to be between £8,600 and £9,800 plus costs.
The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs in the absence of detailed investigations. Do not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be additional concerns that need to be taken into account and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not take any other action based on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.