I selected a local solicitor for my conveyancing in West London last week. Going through the terms of engagement I notewe are liable for costs even where the conveyance does not complete. Should I ditch them and choose an internet lawyer promising no-sale-no-fee conveyancing in West London?
Generally there is a compromise along the lines that if "No Sale No Fee" is advertised then the conveyancing charges will generally be uplifted to offset those transactions that do not proceed. You should be mindful that these schemes generally do not cover expenses such your West London conveyancing search fees.
Should conveyancers ask for money on account for my conveyancing in West London?
Where you are retaining lawyers for conveyancing in West London your solicitor will ask you to provide them with funds to cover the search fees. Ordinarily this is asked for to cover the fees of the conveyancing searches. When the deposit is as part of the purchase price then this will be asked for shortly in advance of contracts are exchanged. The closing balance that is needed should be transferred a few days ahead of the completion date.
My husband and I have arranged a further advance on our home loan from Coventry BS as we intend to conduct alterations to our house in West London. Are we obliged to select a bricks and mortar West London solicitor on the Coventry BS conveyancing panel to deal with the paperwork?
Coventry BS would not normally require a member of their conveyancing panel to handle the formalities. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Coventry BS list.
I recently had an offer accepted on a house in West London. My mortgage broker recommended their conveyancers. I paid an on account payment of £200. Shortly after, the property lawyer called me embarrassingly acknowledging that they were not on the Skipton 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 Skipton 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 am due to exchange contracts on my flat. I had a double glazing fitted in October 2007, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My buyer's mortgage company, TSB are being pedantic. The West London solicitor who is on the TSB conveyancing panel is recommending indemnity insurance as a solution but TSB are requiring a building regulation certificate. Why do TSB have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?
It is probably the case that TSB have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why TSB 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.
I purchased a semi-detached Edwardian property in West London. Conveyancing solicitor acted for me and Nottingham Building Society. I did a free Land Registry search last week and I saw a couple of entries: the first freehold, the second leasehold under the matching address. If a house is not a freehold shouldn't I have been informed?
You need to review 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 West London 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 situation with the conveyancing solicitor who carried out the work.
How does conveyancing in West London differ for new build properties?
Most buyers of new build premises in West London approach us having been asked by the housebuilder to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the property is finished. This is because house builders in West London usually acquire 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 conveyancing solicitors 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 West London or who has acted in the same development.
I am in need of some leasehold conveyancing in West London. Before diving in I require certainty as to the remaining lease term.
Assuming the lease is recorded at the land registry - and almost all are in West London - 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.
I have given up negotiating a lease extension in West London. Can this matter be resolved via the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal?
Most definitely. We can put you in touch with a West London conveyancing firm who can help.
An example of a Lease Extension decision for a West London flat is 137 & 139 Haberdasher Street in December 2013. The Tribunal determines in accordance with section 48 and Schedule 13 of the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 that the premium for the extended lease for each Property should be £12,350.00. This case related to 2 flats. The unexpired term was 72.39 years.