I am expecting a offer of a home loan from Nat West. I hope to instruct a Licensed Conveyancer in Warsash. Does the Nat West Solicitor panel include Licensed Conveyancers?
The Nat West conveyancing panel is, like many other lenders, associated to the Council or Mortgage Lenders or BSA, open to Licensed Conveyancers regulated by the CLC.
As I am unsure how the conveyancing process works what is the most important piece of guidance you can give me regarding purchase conveyancing in Warsash?
You may not hear this from too many lawyers but conveyancing in Warsash and elsewhere in England and Wales is an adversarial process. Put another way, when it comes to conveyancing there exists lots of room for conflict between you and others involved in the ownership transfer. E.g., the vendor, property agent and even potentially the lender. Selecting a law firm for your conveyancing in Warsash should not be taken lightly as your conveyancer is your adviser, and is the SOLE person in the transaction whose interest is to protect your best interests and to protect you.
On occasion a potential adversary may attempt to sway you that it is in your interests to do things their way. As an example, the property agent may claim to be assisting by claiming that your lawyer is dragging his heels. Or your financial adviser may advise you to do take action that is contrary to your solicitors recommendation. You should always trust your lawyer above all other parties in the conveyancing process.
We are planning on selling our home in Warsash and the buyers lawyers are claiming that there is a risk of it being constructed land that was not decontaminated. A local conveyancer would know this is not the case. For the life of me I don't know why the purchasers are using a factory type conveyancing firm as opposed to a conveyancing solicitor in Warsash. Having lived in Warsash for 4 years we know that this is a non issue. Do we contact our local Authority to get clarification that there is no issue.
It would appear that you have a conveyancing solicitor already. What do they say? You should 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 health insurance to cover that same illness)
Over the last few months I have been searching for a leasehold apartment up to £305k and identified one round the corner in Warsash I like with open areas and transport links in the vicinity, however it's only got 52 years on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Warsash suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake acquiring a lease with such few years left?
Should you need a home loan that many years may be an issue. Discount the offer by the expected lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing owner has owned the property for at least 2 years you could request that they start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer about this.
Is it best to choose a Warsash conveyancing solicitor in close proximity to the house I am purchasing? We have a good friend who can deal with the conveyancing but her office is 400kilometers drive away.
The primary upside of using a high street Warsash conveyancing firm is that you can attend the office to sign documents, deliver your identification documents and pester them where appropriate. They will also have local intelligence which is a bonus. However nothing is more important than finding someone that will do a good and efficient job. If if people you trust used your friend and they were content that should trump using an unknown Warsash conveyancing solicitor just because they are Warsash based.
Last November I purchased a leasehold flat in Warsash. Am I liable to pay service charges for periods before completion of my purchase?
In a situation where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous lessee and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. Strange as it may seem, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. A critical element of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to ensure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.
If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).
Warsash Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - A selection of Queries Prior to buying
-
How much is the yearly service fee and ground rent? Is there a share of the freehold?