My husband and I are looking to buy a flat in Winchester and have instructed a Winchester conveyancing practice. Within the last couple of days our property lawyer has sent a preliminary report and documents to look through in anticipation of exchanging contracts shortly. Britannia have this evening contacted us to advise us that they have now hit a problem as our Winchester lawyer is not on their approved list of lawyers. Please explain?
Where you are buying a property with the assistance of a mortgage it is usual for the purchasers' solicitors to also act for the purchaser's lender. In order to act for a bank or building society a law firm has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the law firm to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the firm has to satisfy and indeed some lenders now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme. Your property lawyer should contact your mortgage company and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own solicitors to act. You are not legally obliged to appoint a law firm on the bank's conveyancing panel as you are at liberty to use your preferred Winchester lawyers, in which case it will likely add costs, and it will likely delay the transaction as you have another set of people involved.
Would the conveyancing practitioners revealed through your ’find a lawyer’ tool conduct right to buy conveyancing in Winchester?
We work with a number of conveyancing conveyancers who can conduct right to buy conveyancing Do contact the solicitors listed to get a costs illustration.
I am expecting a DIP from RBS this week so we can work out what to offer on a property we like as otherwise we are dependent on web based calculators (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do RBS recommend any Winchester solicitors on the RBS conveyancing panel, or is it better to go independently?
You will need to appoint Winchester solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the RBS conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and RBS through the process.
After shopping around on the internet I have found a Winchester property lawyer having made sure that they are on the Santander conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?
Santander will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Santander will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. Your lawyer will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by your Winchester postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Santander, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Winchester.
Our sealed bid on a property in Winchester has been agreed to, the vendors do nevertheless have a dependent purchase. The sellers have offered on a flat, however it’s not been accepted yet, and are looking at other properties in the pipeline. I have chosen a nearby conveyancing solicitor in Winchester. What do I do now? When do I get the mortgage application with Clydesdale started?
It is understandable to have apprehensions where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to incur costs prematurely (home loan application is in the region of £1k, then survey, Winchester conveyancing search costs, etc). The first course of action is to check that your conveyancing practitioner is on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel. Concerning the next steps this very much dictated by the specifics of your transaction, desire for the property and on the state of the market. In a buoyant market some purchasers will apply for a home loan with Clydesdale and pay for the valuation and only if it was satisfactory would they pay their lawyer to proceed with searches.
Over the last few months I have been searching for a flat up to £195,000 and found one close by in Winchester I like with a park and station nearby, the downside is that it only has 52 years on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Winchester suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake buying a lease with such few years left?
Should you need a home loan the shortness of the lease will likely be problematic. Reduce the offer by the anticipated lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current owner has owned the property for a minimum of 2 years you could ask them to commence the lease extension formalities and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor about this.
Is there anything unique about your site and alternative online quote calculators when it comes to conveyancing in Winchester?
At this site obtain an accurate quote via a Solicitor or Licensed Conveyancer that appreciates the issues for your conveyancing in Winchester. As opposed to estate agents and brokerage sites we do not operate referral arrangements with solicitors. A large number of agents and online brokers 'recommend' the firm paying the most per referral, not the best value conveyancing in Winchester
There are only 68 years unexpired on my lease in Winchester. I now wish to get lease extension but my landlord is absent. What options are available to me?
If you meet the appropriate requirements, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the County Court for for permission to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will enable the lease to be lengthened by the Court. You will be obliged to prove that you have used your best endeavours to locate the lessor. On the whole a specialist should be helpful to try and locate and prepare a report to be used as evidence that the freeholder is indeed missing. It is advisable to get professional help from a conveyancer both on devolving into the landlord’s absence and the application to the County Court covering Winchester.
Leasehold Conveyancing in Winchester - A selection of Queries before Purchasing
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How much is the annual maintenance fee and ground rent? Be sure to find out if there is anything that is prohibited in the lease. By way of example it is reasonably common in Winchester leases that pets are not allowed in certain buildings in Winchester. If you like the propertyin Winchester yet your dog can’t move with you then you have a very difficult compromise. Is there a share of the freehold?