In what way does my ID and proof of funds have anything to do with my conveyancing in Wool? Why is this being asked of me?
Anti-terror and anti-money-laundering rules require solicitors and licensed conveyancers to verify the identification documents of the person or body they are dealing with prior to agreeing to accepting their conveyancing business. The Terms and Conditions that you are required to sign will no doubt reaffirm this. Your lender will also require certain documents to be checked. Where you refuse to provide identification documents, your lawyer will not be able to take you on as a client.
My wife and I are close to exchanging contracts on the sale of our home in Wool and according to the buyers it appears that there is a possibility that the property was constructed land that was not decontaminated. Any high street Wool lawyer would know this is not the case. For the life of me I don't know why the buyers used a nationwide conveyancing practice as opposed to a conveyancing solicitor in Wool. Having lived in Wool for 5 years we know that this is a non issue. Do we contact our local Authority to seek confirmation that there is no issue.
It would appear that you have a conveyancing lawyer already. What do they say? You must enquire of your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out life insurance to cover that same ailment)
My wife and I purchased a terraced Victorian house in Wool. Conveyancing lawyer acted for me and Coventry Building Society. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and there are two entries: the first freehold, the second leasehold under the exact same property. I thought I was buying a freehold how can I check?
You should assess the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Wool and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they buy they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with lenders. You can also check the position with your conveyancing practitioner who conducted the purchase.
I have been advised by numerous estate agents in Wool to get a quote from a property lawyer using your seach tool. Is there a financial inducement for Estate Agents to recommend your site over a competitor’s?
We don’t offer any commission for sending work in our direction. We found it would be just too difficult to pay a commission as members of the public would think, ‘How come the agent getting a kickback? Why am I not getting any benefit too?’ We would prefer to grow our business on genuine recommendations.
As co-executor for the will of my uncle I am selling a property in Cardiff but reside in Wool. My conveyancer (who is 300 miles awayneeds me to execute a stat dec prior to completion. Could you suggest a conveyancing lawyer in Wool to witness this legal document for me?
Technically speaking you are unlikely to need to have the documents attested by a conveyancing solicitor. Normally any notary public or qualified solicitor will be fine regardless of whether they are Wool based
Can you provide any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Wool from the perspective of speeding up the sale process?
- A significant proportion of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Wool can be bypassed if you appoint lawyers as soon as you market your property and request that they start to collate the leasehold information needed by the buyers’ solicitors. If there is a history of conflict with your landlord or managing agents it is essential that these are settled prior to the flat being marketed. The purchasers and their solicitors will be warry about purchasing a flat where there is an ongoing dispute. You may need to swallow your pride and pay any arrears of service charge or settle the dispute prior to the buyers completing the purchase. 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 present the dispute as over rather than unresolved. A minority of Wool leases require Landlord’s consent to the sale and approval of the buyers. If this applies to your lease, it would be prudent to notify your estate agents to make sure that the purchasers put in hand financial (bank) and professional references. The bank reference will need to confirm that the buyers are financially capable of paying the annual service charge and the actual amount of the service charge should be quoted in the bank’s letter. You will therefore need to provide your estate agents with the service charge figures so that they can pass this information on to the buyers or their 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 buyer’s lawyer will not be happy to advise their client to to exchange contracts if the lease term is below 80 years. In the circumstances it is important at an early stage that you identify whether the lease for your property needs extending. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your property on the market for sale. If you are supposed to have a share in the Management Company, you should ensure that you have the original share certificate. Organising a duplicate share certificate can be a lengthy process and slows down many a Wool conveyancing transaction. If a reissued share certificate is necessary, you should approach the company director and secretary or managing agents (where relevant) for this sooner rather than later.
Wool Leasehold Conveyancing - Sample of Queries before buying
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It would be wise to discover as much as you can regarding the managing agents as they can either make living at the property much simpler or uncomfortable. Being a leasehold owner you are often at the mercy of the managing agents both financially and when it comes to daily matters such as the upkeep of the communal areas. Ask prospective neighbours whether they are happy with them. On a final note, investigate as to the dates that the service charges are due to the appropriate party and precisely how they are spending that money. The prefered form of lease structure is a share of the freehold. In this scenario the lessees benefit from being in charge if their destiny and notwithstanding that a managing agent is usually retained if it is larger than a house conversion, the managing agent retained by the leaseholders. How is the lease structured?