The Harlow conveyancing lawyers that I recently instructed on my house acquisition in Harlow have suddenly shut down. I chose them because I needed a solicitor on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel and my previous Harlow lawyer was not. I paid them 275 plus VAT on account. What are my options?
If you have an estate agent involved then let them know straight away so that they advise the vendors that there may be a slight delay due to reasons beyond your control. Hopefully they will be sympathetic and urge their lawyer to send a new set of papers to your new solicitors. You should appoint new lawyers that are on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel and notify the lender. If you have paid over any money, it will hopefully be held by the SRA as money in an intervened firm's bank accounts is transferred to the SRA. Then, the SRA or the intervention agent looks at the intervened firm's accounts to work out who the money belongs to. To claim your money you will need to contact the SRA. If the SRA cannot return money you are owed from the firm's bank accounts, or if they can only return part of the money, you can apply to the Compensation Fund for a grant. Your new lawyers should be in a position to help.
Forgive me if this question is silly but I am new to the home buying as a first time buyer of a garden flat in Harlow. Do I receive the keys to the house on completion from my solicitor? If so, I will instruct a High Street conveyancing solicitor in Harlow?
There is no need to visit the lawyers office on the day of completion. Your solicitors will electronically transfer the completion advance to the owner’s conveyancers, and shortly after the monies have arrived, you will be invited to pick up the keys from the property Agents and start moving into the property. This tends to happen between 1 and 3pm.
We are purchasing a end of terrace house in Harlow. Our aim is to carry out a loft conversion at the house.Will the conveyancing process include checks to see if these works are permitted?
Your conveyancer should review the registered title as conveyancing in Harlow will occasionally identify restrictions in the title deeds which restrict categories of changes or require the permission of another owner. Certain works need local authority planning permissions and approval under the building regulations. Many locations are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which frequently prevent or impact extensions. It would be sensible to check these issues with a surveyor before you commit yourself to a purchase.
I am selling my flat. I had a double glazing fitted in September 2007, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My buyer's lender, Leeds Building Society are being difficult. The Harlow solicitor who is on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel is recommending indemnity insurance as a solution but Leeds Building Society are insisting on a building regulation certificate. Why do Leeds Building Society have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?
It is probably the case that Leeds Building Society have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Leeds Building Society may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing was correctly and safely installed. The indemnity insurance merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.
Various online forums that I have frequented warn that are the number one reason for stalling in Harlow house deals. Is there any truth in this?
The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) released conclusions of research by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not figure amongst the top 10 causes of hindrances during the legal transfer of property. Searches are not likely to be the root cause of delay in conveyancing in Harlow.
How does conveyancing in Harlow differ for new build properties?
Most buyers of new build residence in Harlow come to us having been asked by the developer to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the property is finished. This is because builders in Harlow tend to buy the site, 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 conveyancers 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 Harlow or who has acted in the same development.
Hoping to buy a property located in Harlow and I am already nervous. I couldn't find anything specific about Harlow. Conveyancing will be needed in due course but do you know about the Harlow area? or perhaps some other tips you can share?
Rather than looking online forget looking online you should go and have a look at Harlow. In the meantime here are some basic statistics that we found
I am looking for a conveyancing solicitor in Harlow for my home move. Is there any facility to see a solicitor's complaints history with the legal regulator?
You can see published Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) determinations arising from investigations 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, phone 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and 09.30 - 18.00 Tuesday. For non-uk callers, call +44 (0)121 329 6800. The SRA may monitor telephone calls for training purposes.