My grandmother passed away 10 months ago and as sole heir and executor I was left the house in Woodcote. The house had a small mortgage left on it of around £4500. I want to have the title changed into my name whilst I re-mortgage to Kent Reliance, pay off the mortgage. Is this possible?
Given you intend to re-mortgage then Kent Reliance will insist on your using a conveyancer on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel. Here is link to the Land Registry online guidance around what to do when a property owner dies. This will help you to understand the registration process behind changing the details re the registered title. in your case it would appear that you are effectively purchasing the property from the estate. Your Kent Reliance conveyancing panel solicitor pays the new mortgage money into the estate, the estate pays off the old mortgage, the charge is released and you become the owner and the Kent Reliance mortgage is registered as a charge at the Land Registry.
Is it the case that all Woodcote solicitor practices on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel are governed by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority?
As a firm of solicitors, in order to be on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel they would need to be regulated by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority. Some lenders do permit licenced conveyancers on their panel and in such a situation the firms would be governed by the CLC.
We had appointed conveyancers locally in Woodcote on the Barclays solicitor panel. They have just invoiced me a supplemental charge for dealing with the Barclays mortgage. Is this a supplemental conveyancing fee set by Barclays?
As unfair as it may appear, as long as it’s in their Terms and Conditions or estimate then yes your conveyancer can charge a fee for this. This fee is not dictated by Barclays but by your Woodcote property lawyer. Numerous firms on the Barclays panel will levy an ‘acting for lender’ fee and others do not.
I recently had an offer accepted on an apartment in Woodcote. My financial adviser recommended their conveyancers. I paid an on account payment of £175. A few days later, the lawyer contacted me to say that they were not on the Leeds Building Society 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 Leeds Building Society 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.
How does conveyancing in Woodcote differ for newly converted properties?
Most buyers of new build property in Woodcote approach us having been asked by the seller to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the residence is constructed. This is because builders in Woodcote tend to purchase the real estate, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct conveyancing solicitors as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are used to new build conveyancing in Woodcote or who has acted in the same development.
I am looking for a leasehold apartment up to £195,000 and found one round the corner in Woodcote I like with a park and railway links in the vicinity, however it only has 52 years on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Woodcote suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error buying a lease with such few years left?
If you require a mortgage that many years will be a potential deal breaker. Reduce the price by the anticipated lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the current owner has owned the premises for at least twenty four months you may request that they commence the lease extension formalities and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer concerning this matter.
I need to instruct a conveyancing lawyer in Woodcote for my house move. Is it possible to check a solicitor's complaints history with the legal regulator?
One may search for published Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) decisions resulting from inquisitions commenced on or after 1 January 2008. Visit Check a solicitor's record. To find details Pre 2008, or to check a firm's history, call 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and 09.30 - 18.00 Tuesday. For callers outside the UK, use +44 (0)121 329 6800. The regulator could monitor call for training reasons.
I am due to review costs for conveyancing in Woodcote from various property lawyer and decide on one. Am I right to get them to sit tight until I a suitable flat to buy.
You should only get your lawyer to commence work and submit searches after the sales confirmation has been issued by the estate agent especially as Woodcote conveyancing searches are not cheap.