I plan on acquiring a maisonette in Westcliff On Sea. My lawyer is not listed on the lender solicitor panel. Am I still permitted to appoint my Westcliff On Sea conveyancing solicitor notwithstanding that they are not on the lender panel of approved conveyancing solicitors?
You have a number of alternatives available to you here
- Carry on with your preferred Westcliff On Sea lawyer but your mortgage company will need to use a conveyancer from their conveyancing panel. This will result in additional fees together with likely delay.
- Choose a fresh conveyancer to conduct the conveyancing, ensuring that they are on the mortgage company conveyancing panel.
- Convince your conveyancing practitioner to do everything possible to get accepted on the mortgage company conveyancing panel
I am the sole beneficiary of my late grandmother’s estate and I have everything in my name now, including the house in Westcliff On Sea. The Westcliff On Sea property was put into my name in April. I now wish to sell up. I understand that there is a CML six month 'rule', meaning my proprietorship could be treated the same way as if I'd bought the property in April. Will no one buy the property for half a year?
The CML handbook mandates conveyancers to: "report to us immediately if the owner or registered proprietor has been registered for less than six months." Technically you may be caught by that. Some lenders would take a pragmatic view as this obligation chiefly exists to pick up on the purchase and immediately sell or the wholesaling and assigning of properties.
I have decided to exercise my right to buy my property in Westcliff On Sea off the council. I have a mortgage agreed with Co-operative. Conveyancing is new to me. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should have one. Any advice?
It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with Co-operative, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Co-operative conveyancing panel.
After months of negotiation I have agreed a price on an apartment in Westcliff On Sea. My mortgage broker pressured me to appoint their conveyancer. I paid an on account payment of £150. A few days later, the conveyancing practitioner contacted me embarrassingly acknowledging that they were not on the Bank of Ireland 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 Bank of Ireland 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.
Various web forums that I have frequented warn that are the primary reason for stalling in Westcliff On Sea house deals. Is this right?
The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) released conclusions of a review by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not figure within the common causes of hindrances in the conveyancing process. Searches are not likely to be the root cause of slowing down conveyancing in Westcliff On Sea.
I have a terraced Georgian property in Westcliff On Sea. Conveyancing solicitor represented me and Bank of Ireland. I did a free Land Registry search last week and I saw two entries: the first freehold, the second leasehold with the matching address. I'd like to know for sure, how can I find out??
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 owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Westcliff On Sea and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they remortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with purchasers. You can also enquire as to the position with your conveyancing lawyer who conducted the purchase.
I’m about to sell my basement apartment in Westcliff On Sea. Conveyancing solicitors are to be appointed soon, but I have just received a yearly maintenance charge invoice – Do I pay up?
The sensible thing to do is discharge the maintenance contribution as normal given that all rents and service invoices should be apportioned on completion, so you will be reimbursed by the buyer for the period running from after the completion date to the next payment date. Most management companies will not acknowledge the buyer unless the service charges have been paid and are up to date, so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. Having a clear account will assist your cause and will leave you no worse off financially.
I invested in buying a split level flat in Westcliff On Sea, conveyancing formalities finalised in 2001. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Corresponding properties in Westcliff On Sea with an extended lease are worth £227,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 yearly. The lease finishes on 21st October 2097
With only 72 years remaining on your lease we estimate the price of your lease extension to be between £9,500 and £11,000 plus plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.
The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to supply a more accurate figure in the absence of detailed investigations. Do not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be other issues that need to be considered and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not take any other action placing reliance on this information without first getting professional advice.
My boyfriend is purchasing a leasehold flat in Westcliff On Sea. He has received a fee estimate by the property lawyer suggested by the estate agents totaling £1250 . It was 7 years ago since I sold and purchased a house and the fee was £495. Have charges really escalated to that extent?
What does the conveyancing estimate include? Is it just for the legal fees, or what you will be paying in total (for example Westcliff On Sea searches, land registry fees, etc)