Is the fact that my solicitor in West London is not listed on my mortgage company's conveyancing panel that there is a problem with the standard of his work?
It would be unwise to jump to that conclusion. There are all sorts of perfectly reasonable explanations. Just recently a report by the solicitors regulator revealed 76% of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The top 5 reasons are as follows: (1) low volume of transactions (2) the lawyer is a sole practitioner (3) as part of the HSBC panel reduction (4) regulatory contact by SRA (5) accidental removal. Where you are concerned you should contact the West London conveyancing practice and enquire why they are no longer on the approved list for your lender.
I just acquired a property at auction in West London. Conveyancing is needed. What is next?
Now that you have for all intents and purposes signed on the dotted line you must instruct a conveyancing solicitor soon as you will have a fast approaching a fixed date to complete the purchase. An auction property will ordinarily have an associated legal set of papers. This will likely include most,if not all of the documents that your lawyer requires. Where you are dealing with leasehold premises the legal pack may contain a copy of the lease, management information and a sellers leasehold information form and associated conveyancing documentation relating to a leasehold property. You need to hand this to the lawyer working for you ASAP. Do make sure that your finances are in place to complete the transaction on the set completion date.
I'm the sole recipient of my late father’s will and I have everything in my name now, including the house in West London. The West London property was put into my name in September. I now wish to sell up. I do know about the Mortgage Lenders 6 month 'rule', which means that my property ownership will be considered the same way as if I'd bought the house in September. Do I have to wait half a year to sell?
The CML handbook instructs conveyancers to: "report to us immediately if the owner or registered proprietor has been registered for less than six months." Technically you could be affected by that. How sensible a view mortgage companies take of it, depend on the lender as this obligation is primarily there to identify subsales or the wholesaling and assigning of properties.
is it true that all West London conveyancing solicitors on the Nationwide conveyancing panel are governed by the SRA?
As a firm of solicitors, in order to be on the Nationwide approved list of solicitors they would need to be overseen by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority. The majority of mortgage companies do allow licenced conveyancers on their panel in which case such firms would be regulated by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.
Due to the encouragement of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a property in West London ahead of instructing conveyancers. I have been advised that there is a flying freehold aspect to the property. My surveyor advised that some mortgage companies tend not give a mortgage on this type of premises.
It depends who your proposed lender is. Lloyds has different instructions from Halifax. If you e-mail us we can check via the relevant lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in West London. Conveyancing can be more complicated and therefore you should check with your conveyancing solicitor in West London to see if the conveyancing will be more expensive.
In scouring the internet for the phrase conveyancing in West London it brings up many property lawyersin the vicinity. How do I determine which is the right solicitor for purchase transaction?
The best way of finding a suitable conveyancer is through a trusted referral, so seek the guidance of friends and relatives who have bought a property in West London or the reputable estate agent or financial adviser. Fees for conveyancing in West London vary, so it's advisable to obtain at least four fee estimates from different property lawyers. Be sure to secure confirmation that the fees are fixed.
My wife and I may need to rent out our West London 1st floor flat temporarily due to a new job. We instructed a West London conveyancing firm in 2001 but they have since shut and we did not have the foresight to seek any guidance as to whether the lease allows us to sublet. How do we find out?
Notwithstanding that your previous West London conveyancing lawyer is no longer available you can check your lease to see if it allows you to sublet the apartment. The rule is that if the deeds are silent, subletting is permitted. There may be a precondition that you are obliged to obtain permission via your landlord or some other party before subletting. This means you not allowed to sublet without first obtaining consent. The consent should not be unreasonably refused ore delayed. If the lease prohibits you from subletting the property you should ask your landlord for their consent.
I have tried to negotiate informally with with my landlord to extend my lease without getting anywhere. Can a leaseholder apply to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal? Can you recommend a West London conveyancing firm to assist?
Absolutely. We can put you in touch with a West London conveyancing firm who can help.
An example of a Lease Extension matter before the tribunal 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 lease term was 72.39 years.
My plan is to acquire a garden maisonette in West London. Conveyancing lawyer has been awaiting, from the owner, building insurance schedule. This afternoon I was informed that the vendor must forward the insurance paperwork for the flat above as well. Why would my solicitor need to check the insurance for the flat above? Is it really required? We have been waiting for the previous fortnight…
It is not impossible in leasehold conveyancing in West London to discover Conveyancing in West London in a minority of cases reveals that the lease requires the leasehold owners to insure their individual flats as opposed to the freeholder insuring the entire block - which is clearly preferable. You should contact your solicitor but it would seem that your conveyancer is seeking to verify that the complete building is insured. Insuring your residence is no help when it comes to rebuilding after a fire if the other flat cannot be reconstructed as a result of lack of insurance.