It is 10 years ago since I acquired my house in West Brompton. Conveyancing lawyers have now been instructed on the sale but I can't locate my title documents. Will this cause complications?
You need not be too concerned. First there is a possibility that the deeds will be retained by your lender or they could be in the possession of the lawyers who acted in the purchase. Secondly in most cases the land will be registered at the land registry and you will be able to prove you own the property by your conveyancing lawyers obtaining current official copies of the land registers. Almost all conveyancing in West Brompton involves registered property but in the rare situation where your property is not registered it is more of a problem but is resolvable.
I am considering applying for a Lloyds mortgage for purchase of a new build (under development) in West Brompton with 60% loan to value. Is it compulsory to choose a solicitor on the conveyancing panel for Lloyds ?
In theory, you could use a solicitor that is not on the Lloyds conveyancing panel, but Lloyds would require one of their panel solicitors to be instructed to act in their interests, and you'd have to pay for this - so most people instruct a panel solicitor. It's also easier, as otherwise you'd have to deal with two solicitors for the same transaction.
What will a local search reveal about the house I am purchasing in West Brompton?
West Brompton conveyancing often starts with the applying for local authority searches directly from your local Authority or via a personal search company for example PSG The local search is essential in every West Brompton conveyancing purchase; as long as you don’t want any unpleasant once you have moved into your new home. The search should reveal data on, amongst other things, details on planning applications relevant to the premises (whether granted or refused), building control history, any enforcement action, restrictions on permitted development, nearby road schemes, contaminated land and radon gas; in all a total of thirteen subject areas.
I'm converting the mortgage on my existing property to a BTL loan with Britannia and I will use the rest of the raised equity as a down payment on another house. The area we are interested in is West Brompton. Will your conveyancers be able to act for both sets of mortgage companies and link together the conveyances?
Do use our comparison tool on this page to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panels. Having checked that they are your lawyer will be able to tie up the two deals but you should talk with you solicitor and specify your expectations and needs.
Should I choose a West Brompton conveyancing solicitor based in the area that I am hoping to buy? I have an old university friend who can conduct the legal work however his firm is located 300miles drive away.
The primary upside of using a high street West Brompton conveyancing firm is that you can drop in to execute paperwork, deliver your ID and pester them where appropriate. Having local West Brompton 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 you know people who used your friend and they were happy that should outweigh using an unknown West Brompton conveyancing solicitor solely due to them being round the corner.
Can you provide any advice for leasehold conveyancing in West Brompton with the purpose of expediting the sale process?
- A significant proportion of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in West Brompton can be bypassed if you instruct lawyers the minute you market your property and request that they start to put together the leasehold information needed by the purchasers’ solicitors. A minority of West Brompton leases require Landlord’s consent to the sale and approval of the buyers. If this is the case, you should place the estate agents on notice to make sure that the purchasers put in hand financial (bank) and professional references. Any bank reference will need to confirm that the buyers are able to meet the yearly service charge and the actual amount of the service charge should be quoted in the bank’s letter. You will therefore need to provide your estate agents with the service charge figures so that they can pass this information on to the buyers or their lawyers. In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s permission? Have you, for example installed wooden flooring? Most leases in West Brompton state that internal structural changes or installing wooden flooring necessitate a licence issued by the Landlord approving such alterations. If you dont have the consents in place you should not communicate with the landlord without checking with your lawyer before hand. You may think that you are aware of the number of years left on your lease but it would be advisable double-check via your lawyers. A purchaser's conveyancer will be unlikely to recommend their client to proceed with the purchase of a leasehold property the remaining number of years is less than 80 years. In the circumstances it is essential at an early stage that you identify whether the lease term for your property needs extending. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your home on the market for sale. If you are supposed to have a share in the Management Company, you should make sure that you hold the original share document. Arranging a re-issued share certificate can be a lengthy formality and slows down many a West Brompton home move. If a reissued share certificate is needed, do contact the company director and secretary or managing agents (where applicable) for this sooner rather than later.
Having spent years of correspondence we are unable to agree with our landlord on how much the lease extension should cost for our flat in West Brompton. Can we issue an application to the Residential Property Tribunal Service?
Most definitely. We are happy to put you in touch with a West Brompton conveyancing firm who can help.
An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement decision for a West Brompton residence is 5 Wetherby Gardens in June 2014. the Tribunal concluded that the price to be paid for the freehold of the property was £2,369,452. This case affected 5 flats. The unexpired term was 38.98 years.