My wife and I are buying a new build apartment in Worthing and my solicitor is telling me that she is duty bound to the mortgage company to reveal incentives from the developer. The Estate Agents are hassling me to exchange contracts and I don't want to delay matters. Is my lawyer right?
You should not exchange unless you have been advised to do so by your conveyancing practitioner. A precondition to being on a mortgage company panel is to comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook conditions. The UK Finance Conveyancing Handbook requires that your lawyer have the appropriate Disclosure of Incentive form completed by the developer and accepted by your lender.
It is a dozen years since I purchased my house in Worthing. Conveyancing solicitors have recently been instructed on the sale but I can't find my deeds. Will this cause complications?
You need not be too concerned. Firstly there is a possibility that the deeds will be retained by the lender or they could still be with the lawyers who acted in the purchase. Secondly in most cases the property will be registered at the land registry and you will be able to prove you own the property by your conveyancing solicitors procuring up to date copy of the land registers. The vast majority of conveyancing in Worthing relates to registered property but in the unlikely event that your home is not registered it is more problematic but is resolvable.
I purchased my flat on 2 March and my personal details are still not on the land registry website. Should I be concerned? My conveyancing solicitor in Worthing advises it will be concluded in a couple of weeks. Are transfers in Worthing uniquely lengthy to register?
There is nothing unique when it comes to conveyancing in Worthing registration formalities. Rather than based on location, timescales can differ depending on who lodges the application, whether it is in order and if the Land registry have to notify any interested persons or bodies. As of today roughly three quarters of such applications are fully addressed within 12 days but some can be subject to protracted delays. Registration is effected once the purchaser has moved in to the premises thus 'speed' is not usually an essential issue yet where there is a degree of urgency associated with the registration then you or your lawyers must contact the land registry and explain the circumstances.
I have been advised by a number of property agents in Worthing to get a quote from a conveyancer on your site. Is there a financial advantage for Estate Agents to promote your services over and above another?
We don’t make any commission for directing people in our direction. We found it would be just too difficult a fee because home movers will think, ‘How come the agent getting a kickback? Why aren’t I getting any benefit too?’ So we decided to step away from that.
Completion is due on the disposal of our £225,000 maisonette in Worthing in 5 days. The landlords agents has quoted £408 for Certificate of Compliance, building insurance schedule and previous years service charge statements. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge such fees for a flat conveyance in Worthing?
Worthing conveyancing on leasehold flats normally necessitates administration charges invoiced by management companies :
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Completing pre-exchange enquiries
Where consent is required before sale in Worthing
Supplying insurance information
Deeds of covenant upon sale
Registering of the assignment of the change of lessee after a sale
Leasehold Conveyancing in Worthing - A selection of Queries before Purchasing
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How many years remain on the lease? Many Worthing leasehold apartments will have a service bill for maintenance of the block levied on behalf of the management company. If you buy the flat you will have to pay this charge, usually in instalments accross the year. This may differ from a couple of hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for blocks with lifts and large common areas. There will also be a rentcharge to be met yearly, ordinarily this is not a exorbitant amount, say around £50-£100 but you should to check it because sometimes it can be surprisingly expensive.
Living abroad I am unable to visit my Worthing conveyancing practitioners office to sign documents connected to my conveyancing in Worthing – is this a problem?
No. Worthing conveyancing lawyers can deal with home moves for clients nationally. You are unlikely to be required to visit a Worthing conveyancers office. Almost all conveyancing practitioner can handle everything via post, email, telephone and fax.