I am selling my apartment in Whitton and the EA has just e-mailed to say that the purchasers are swapping property lawyer. I am told that this is due to the fact that the mortgage company will only deal with property lawyers on their approved list. Why would a leading mortgage company only deal with certain law firms rather the firm that they want to select for their conveyancing in Whitton ?
UK lenders have always had an approved set of law firms that can represent them, but in the past few years big names such as Nationwide, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have represented them for more than 25 years.
Lending institutions attribute this action to a rise in fraud by way of justification for the pruning – criteria have been narrowed as a smaller panel is easier to maintain. No lender will say how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society claims that it is being contacted daily by practices that have been removed from panels. Plenty of firms are unaware that they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyers' case. Your buyers are not going to have any sway in the decision.
My aunt advised me that in purchasing a property in Whitton there may be a number of restrictions prohibiting external alterations to a property. Is this right?
There are a number of properties in Whitton which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to perform external variations. Part of the conveyancing in Whitton should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.
We are buying a end of terrace house in Whitton. We would like to carry out an extension to the side at the house.Will legal investigations on the property involve investigations to see if these alterations are allowed?
Your conveyancer will review the deeds as conveyancing in Whitton can occasionally reveal restrictions in the title documents which prohibit categories of changes or require the permission of another owner. Certain additions require local authority planning consent and approval in compliance with building regulations. Many areas are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which often prevent or affect extensions. You should check these things with a surveyor ahead of any purchase.
We had instructed conveyancing lawyers based in Whitton on the Aldermore solicitor approved list. They have just invoiced me a separate sum for the legal aspects of the Aldermore mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee set by Aldermore?
Unfortunately, so long as it is in their Terms and Conditions or estimate then yes your lawyer is entitled to levy a fee for this. The fee is not set by Aldermore but by your Whitton conveyancing practitioner. Some firms on the Aldermore panel will levy ’dealing with mortgage’ fee but many practices include it on their overall fee.
My relative advised me that if I am purchasing in Whitton I should ask my conveyancer to perform a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?
A search of this type is occasionally quoted for as part of the standard Whitton conveyancing searches. It is a large report of about 40 pages, listing and detailing important information about Whitton around the property and the people living there. It includes an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the local Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the type of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average House Prices, Crime statistics, Local Education with plans and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data about Whitton.
Have completed on a a terraced house in Whitton , What is the estimated time for the Land Registry to deal with the formalities evidencing my ownership? My Whitton conveyancing solicitor works at snail pace, so I want to be sure the land registry aspects are dealt with.
There is nothing unique about conveyancing in Whitton registration formalities. As opposed to being determined by geographic area, timeframes can adjust depending on the party submitting the application, whether it is in order and if the Land registry must send notices to any 3rd persons or bodies. Currently roughly three quarters of submission are fully dealt with in less than three weeks but some can be subject to longer hold-ups. Historically registration takes place after the buyer has moved in to the property so 'speed' is not usually an essential issue but if it is urgent that the the registration takes place urgently then you or your lawyers must speak with the land registry and explain the circumstances.
My business partner and I are intending to take an assignment of a lease of a shop on the high street. Can you recommend conveyancers offering no-sale-no charges for commercial conveyancing in Whitton for under 2k?
We are happy to recommend firms who have well rounded knowledge of commercial conveyancing in Whitton, including the sale and acquisition of businesses as well as simply property. If you are intending to buy or lease a shop, pub, restaurant, office, retail premises or a whole business we will find you the right lawyer. As for the fees these will vary based on the structure and heads of terms of the deal. Please provide us with your contact information or call us so that we can provide you with a detailed commercial conveyancing calculation.
How much experience do your Whitton conveyancing solicitors have with Help To Buy, Shared Equity and similar schemes?
Whitton conveyancing lawyers help thousands of buyers move home every year and supported plenty of clients through the Help To Buy scheme. The chances are that whatever makes your case unique Whitton conveyancers have worked on recent similar matters.