Are all West Sussex Conveyancing Quality Solicitors on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel?
A selection of banks and building societies now utilise CQS as the starting point for Panel approval such as HSBC and Santander. The Law Society’s CQS membership however gives no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. That being said,the CML have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for solicitor practices wishing to join their approved list of conveyancing solicitors.
Is there a list of Barclays panel solicitors in West Sussex on the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook Website?
No. There is no such facility on the Council of Mortgage Lenders or Building Society Association websites. Very few mortgage companies make their panel listings open the public over the internet. Where you are looking for a West Sussex lawyer on the Barclays please use our tool.
Planning on purchasing a maisonette in West Sussex. I have received an online quote from a licenced conveyancer, which states: "There will be no charge for dealing with the Building Society if you are obtaining a mortgage". I take this to mean that there will be no additional fee if the solicitor is on the Santander conveyancing panel. I wanted to make sure it means there will be no additional fees for dealing with the mortgage.
They are simply saying that the cost for acting for the lender is included in the fee being quoted. It is worth you checking that the West Sussex lawyer is on the Santander conveyancing panel.
Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly identified as part of conveyancing in West Sussex?
Covenants that are restrictive in nature can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the legal transfer of property in West Sussex. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’
I have been on the look out for a ground for flat up to £235,500 and found one close by in West Sussex I like with open areas and station in the vicinity, however it's only got 61 remaining years left on the lease. There is not much else in West Sussex suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error buying a short lease?
Should you require a home loan the remaining unexpired lease term will likely be problematic. Discount the offer by the amount the lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the existing owner has owned the premises for at least 2 years you could ask them to commence the lease extension formalities and pass it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease term and have £0 ground rent by law. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer regarding this matter.
As co-executor for the will of my grandfather I am disposing of a house in Swansea but I am based in West Sussex. My solicitor (based 250 miles from meneeds me to sign a statutory declaration before completion. Can you recommend a conveyancing solicitor in West Sussex who can attest this legal document for me?
Technically speaking you should not be required to have the documents witnessed by a conveyancing solicitor. Normally or notary public or qualified solicitor will do regardless of whether they are West Sussex based
I work for a long established estate agency in West Sussex where we see a few flat sales derailed as a result of short leases. I have received inconsistent advice from local West Sussex conveyancing solicitors. Can you shed some light as to whether the owner of a flat can start the lease extension process for the purchaser on completion of the sale?
Provided that the seller has owned the lease for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. This means that the buyer can avoid having to wait 2 years for a lease extension. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment has to be done prior to, or simultaneously with completion of the sale.
Alternatively, it may be possible to extend the lease informally by agreement with the landlord either before or after the sale. If you are informally negotiating there are no rules and so you cannot insist on the landlord agreeing to grant an extension or transferring the benefit of an agreement to the purchaser.
I bought a ground floor flat in West Sussex, conveyancing formalities finalised in 2003. Can you please calculate a probable premium for a statutory lease extension? Comparable flats in West Sussex with an extended lease are worth £185,000. The ground rent is £65 invoiced annually. The lease expires on 21st October 2086
With only 61 years remaining on your lease we estimate the price of your lease extension to be between £18,100 and £20,800 plus plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.
The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs without more detailed due diligence. You should not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. 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. You should not take any other action based on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.
How much experience do your West Sussex conveyancing solicitors have with Help To Buy, Shared Equity and similar schemes?
West Sussex conveyancing lawyers help thousands of buyers move home every year and supported lots of clients through the Help To Buy scheme. The chances are that whatever makes your case unique West Sussex conveyancers have worked on recent similar matters.