In the event thatI was to buy a straightforward homein Woodford mortgage fee and dispense with a survey and no conveyancing searches how much could I expect to have to pay for conveyancing in Woodford?
The sole saving you would achieve is the Woodford conveyancing searches. Your conveyancing practitioner is required to do the vast majority of work - money laundering, communicating with the vendors lawyer, SDLT return, register the ownership etc. A slight saving might be made by not having to register a charge however it won't be significant.
As someone not used to conveyancing in Woodford what’s the number one tip you can impart for the home moving process in Woodford
Not many law firms or advisers will tell you this but conveyancing in Woodford and elsewhere in North East London is often a confrontational experience. Put another way, when it comes to conveyancing there exists an abundance of room for conflict between you and other parties involved in the ownership transfer. For instance, the seller, selling agent and on occasion a mortgage company. Appointing a law firm for your conveyancing in Woodford is a critical decision as your conveyancer is your adviser, and is the ONE party in the transaction whose responsibility is to look after your legal interests and to protect you.
Sometimes a potential adversary will attempt to sway you that it is in your interests to do things their way. As an example, the selling agent may claim to be helping by suggesting your lawyer is wrong. Or your financial adviser may advise you to do something that is contrary to your lawyers guidance. You should always trust your lawyer above all other parties in the home moving process.
Various online forums that I have visited warn that are the main cause of stalling in Woodford conveyancing transactions. Is that correct?
The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) published determinations of a review by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not feature amongst the top 10 causes of delays in the conveyancing process. Local searches are not likely to be the root cause of delay in conveyancing in Woodford.
I bought my house on 5 January and the transaction details is not yet registered. Any reason for this? My conveyancing solicitor in Woodford said it should be registered in a couple of weeks. Are transfers in Woodford particularly slow to register?
As far as conveyancing in Woodford is concerned, registration is no quicker or slower than anywhere else in England and Wales. As opposed to being determined by geographic area, timescales can vary subject to 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 80% of submission are fully dealt with in less than three weeks but occasionally there can be longer delays. Historically registration occurs after the buyer has moved in to the property thus an expedited registration is not always an essential issue yet if there is a degree of urgency associated with the registration then you or your solicitor should communicate with the Registry to express the reasoning for an expedited registration.
I am looking for a conveyancing lawyer in Woodford for my remortgage. Is it possible to review a solicitor's record with the profession’s regulator?
One can search for presented Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) determinations arising from inquisitions commenced on or after Jan 2008. Visit Check a solicitor's record. To find details about the period before 1 January 2008, or to check a firm's history, ring 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 any week day save for Tuesday when lines open at 9.30am. For callers outside the UK, call +44 (0)121 329 6800. The regulator may monitor call for training reasons.
Do you have any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Woodford with the intention of expediting the sale process?
- A significant proportion of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Woodford can be avoided where you instruct lawyers the minute you market your property and request that they start to put together the leasehold information which will be required by the purchasers’ lawyers. You may think that you are aware of the number of years remaining on your lease but it would be wise to verify this by asking your conveyancers. A purchaser's conveyancer will be unlikely to recommend their client to proceed with the purchase of a leasehold property the remaining number of years is less than 75 years. It is therefore essential at an as soon as possible that you identify whether the lease requires a lease extension. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your premises on the market for sale. If there is a history of conflict with your freeholder or managing agents it is essential that these are resolved before the property is marketed. The buyers and their solicitors will be nervous about purchasing a property where there is an ongoing dispute. You may need to swallow your pride and discharge any arrears of service charge or resolve the dispute prior to completion of the sale. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled prior to the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You are still duty bound to disclose details of the dispute to the buyers, but it is better to reveal the dispute as historic rather than unresolved. If you have the benefit of shareholding in the Management Company, you should ensure that you have the original share document. Arranging a replacement share certificate can be a time consuming formality and delays many a Woodford home move. Where a reissued share is required, do contact the company director and secretary or managing agents (if relevant) for this at the earliest opportunity.
We have reached the end of our tether in trying to purchase the freehold in Woodford. Can this matter be resolved via the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal?
Most certainly. We can put you in touch with a Woodford conveyancing firm who can help.
An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement decision for a Woodford property is 201 & 201a St. Barnabas Road in October 2013. The Tribunal decided that the price to be paid by the Applicants for the freehold interest is £20,071. This case related to 2 flats. The number of years remaining on the existing lease(s) was 69.26 years.