The sellers of the house we are looking to purchase are using a conveyancing practitioner in Westbury who has suggested a preliminary agreement with a down payment 10k. Are such arrangements appropriate for Westbury conveyancing transactions?
Lock out contracts are contracts binding a home seller and prospective buyer giving the buyer a ‘clear field’ to purchase the property for a limited period of time. Essentially, an exclusivity is a document specifying that you will be issued with a contract at a later time being the contract for the actual sale. It is generally used for buyer assurance though in some cases, the vendor may stand to benefit from such agreements as well. There are many pros and cons to having them but you need to check with your lawyer but note that it may end up incurring extra in conveyancing charges. In light of these reasons these contracts are not popular when it comes to conveyancing in Westbury.
It is a dozen years since I acquired my property in Westbury. Conveyancing solicitors have just been retained on the sale but I can't locate my title documents. Will this cause complications?
You need not be too concerned. Firstly the deeds may be kept by your mortgage company or they may stored with the lawyers who handled the purchase. Secondly the likelihood is that the land will be registered at the land registry and you will be able to establish that you are the registered owner by your conveyancing solicitors obtaining up to date copy of the land registers. Nearly all conveyancing in Westbury relates to registered property but in the unlikely event that your property is not registered it adds to the complexity but is not insurmountable.
I am looking for a leasehold apartment up to £235,500 and identified one near me in Westbury I like with open areas and station in the vicinity, the downside is that it's only got 49 years unexpired on the lease. There is not much else in Westbury suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error purchasing a lease with such few years left?
Should you require a home loan the shortness of the lease will be problematic. Discount the price by the expected lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing owner has owned the premises for a minimum of 2 years you may request that they start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing solicitor regarding this.
I'm refinancing my primary home to a BTL loan with National Westminster Bank and intend to use the remaining equity as a deposit on a second property. The location we are interested in is Westbury. Will your conveyancers be able to act for both sets of banks and link together the conveyances?
Make use of our comparison tool on this site to ensure that the conveyancers are on the relevant lender panels. Having checked that they are the lawyer will be able to tie up the two deals but you should have a chat with you lawyer and specify your expectations and needs.
I am looking for a conveyancing solicitor in Westbury for my house move. Is there any facility to check a firm’s complaints history with the legal regulator?
You can see presented Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) determinations arising from inquisitions commenced on or after Jan 2008. Visit Check a solicitor's record. For details about the period before 1 January 2008, or to check a firm's history, telephone 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 any week day save for Tuesday when lines open at 9.30am. For non-uk callers, call +44 (0)121 329 6800. The regulator may monitor call for training purposes.
We are thinking of appointing an online lawyer ahead of a Westbury conveyancing firm. Am I making a mistake?
Various benefits exist in being able to attend a local Westbury conveyancing solicitor for example
- signing documents on short notice
- having one on one explanations of matters that you need help with
- the ability to complain if matters need to addressed
When checking estimates, look carefully for hidden extras. Most decent Westbury high street solicitors give an all-inclusive figure. Many online agents seem to offer discounted fees, yet have burried 'extras' in the fine print.