We previously selected conveyancers with offices in White City on the Nationwide solicitor approved list. They are now charging me a further fee for dealing with the Nationwide mortgage. Is this a supplemental conveyancing fee specified by Nationwide?
Provided it is contained in their Terms of Engagement or estimate then yes your lawyer may levy a fee for this. This charge is not set by Nationwide but by your White City lawyer. Some firms on the Nationwide panel will levy an ‘acting for lender’ fee but many firms incorporate it on their overall fee.
Completion of my remortgage has taken place for my property in White City. Conveyancing was of an acceptable standard but I feel I should register my dissatisfaction about the lender. How do I make a complaint?
All lenders have complaints procedures. Your first port of call should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Services Team at head office. In most cases complaints to a lender are resolved effectively and efficiently. If you feel the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service, South Quay Plaza, 183 Marsh Wall, London E14 9SR with full details of your complaint.
Planning on purchasing a maisonette in White City. 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 Leeds Building Society 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 White City conveyancing practitioner is on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel.
Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to our home can not be found. The lawyers who did the conveyancing in White City 10 years ago no longer exist. What do I do?
Assuming you have a registered title the information relating to your proprietorship will be retained by HMLR under a Title Number. It is easy to perform a search at the Land Registry, locate your property and get up to date copies of the property title for a small fee. Where the property is Leasehold then the Land Registry will usually retain a certified copy of the Registered Lease and again, a copy can be ordered for a small fee.
I'm purchasing a new build house in White City with a loan from Bank of Ireland. The sellers refused to budge the amount so I negotiated £7000 of fixtures and fittings instead. The house builders rep advised me not disclose to my conveyancer about the side-deal as it may jeopardize my loan with the bank. Should I keep quiet?.
All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the developer of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.
Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.
Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.
Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold element on a property I have offered on a fortnight ago in what should have been a simple, chain free conveyancing. White City is the location of the property. Is there any advice you can give?
Flying freeholds in White City are not the norm but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside White City you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds diligently. Your mortgage company may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in White City may decide that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold residence.
My cousin has recommend that I appoint his conveyancing solicitors in White City. Should I find my own conveyancer?
No doubt the ideal way to find a conveyancing solicitor is to have recommendations from friends or relatives who have actually used the conveyancer that you are are thinking of instructing.
I am looking at a couple of flats in White City which have in the region of forty five years unexpired on the lease term. Do I need to be concerned?
There are no two ways about it. A leasehold flat in White City is a deteriorating asset as a result of the shortening lease. The nearer the lease gets to zero years unexpired, the more it reduces the marketability of the premises. The majority of purchasers and lenders, leases with less than 75 years become less and less attractive. On a more positive note, leaseholders can extend their leases by serving a Section 42 Notice. One stipulation is that they must have owned the premises for two years (unlike a Section 13 notice for purchasing the freehold, when leaseholders can participate from day one of ownership). When successful, they will have the right to an extension of 90 years to the current term and ground rent is effectively reduced to zero. Before moving forward with a purchase of a residence with a short lease term remaining you should talk to a solicitor specialising in lease extensions and leasehold enfranchisement. We are are happy to put you in touch with White City conveyancing experts who will explain the options available to you during an initial telephone conversation free of charge. More often than not it is possible to negotiate informally with the freeholder to extend the lease. You may find he or she is happy to negotiate informally and willing to consider your offer straight off, without having to involve anyone else. This will save you time and money and it could help you reach a lower price on the lease. You need to ensure that the agreed terms represent good long-term value compared with the standard benefits of the Section 42 Notice and that onerous clauses are not inserted into any redrafting of the lease.
After years of correspondence we are unable to agree with our landlord on how much the lease extension should cost for our flat in White City. Does the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal have jurisdiction to calculate the appropriate figures?
Absolutely. We are happy to put you in touch with a White City conveyancing firm who can help.
An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement decision for a White City flat is 23 & 23A Collingbourne Road in June 2013. Tribunal was dealing with the assessment of the value of the freehold reversion and determination of the terms of the acquisition pursuant to an Order of District Judge Lightman dated 25 February 2013 vesting the freehold interest in the property in the applicant. The tribunal assessed the price of the freehold (to which any arrears or other sums due to the missing landlord under the leases should be added) at £81,638. This case affected 2 flats. The unexpired term was 64.5 years.