My husband and I are planning to purchase a 3 bedroom apartment in Havant with a mortgage. We like our Havant conveyancer, however the lender says he's not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the mortgage company panel firms or continue with our Havant solicitor and pay for one of their panel firms to act for them. This feels very unfair; is there anything we can do?
No, not really. The mortgage offered to you is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the bank’s conveyancing panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. A further alternative is for your Havant conveyancing solicitor to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.
Please help. My Havant conveyancer is advising me that he is legally obliged toorder Havant conveyancing searches asthe firm are on the Virgin Moneyconveyancing panel. Do I not have any options here?
Unfortunately both you and your lawyer have little choice here. As you are obtaining a mortgage with a lender your lawyer has to comply with their conditions as set out in their version of the CML Conveyancing Handbook. Your property lawyer would have previously signed the Terms and Conditions of your bank’s conveyancing panel appointment which obliges them to follow the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook requirements . Even if you were a cash buyer you would be ill advised not to carry out Havant conveyancing searches.
A friend recommended that where I am purchasing in Havant I should ask my conveyancer to perform a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. What does it cover?
A search of this type is occasionally quoted for as part of the standard Havant conveyancing searches. It is not a small document of about 40 pages, listing and setting out significant information about Havant around the property and the people living there. It incorporates an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the local Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the demographics of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average House Prices, Crime statistics, Local Education with plans and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data about Havant.
Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to our home can not be found. The lawyers who dealt with the conveyancing in Havant 4 years ago are no longer around. What are my next steps?
Nowadays there are copies made of almost everything, and your solicitor should know precisely where to find all the relevant documentation so you may buy or dispose of your house without a hitch. If duplicates are not available, your lawyer may be able to arrange cover in the form of insurance or indemnities against possible claims on your property.
How difficult is it to switch conveyancer as I need to choose one who is on the Virgin Money conveyancing list. I was using a local conveyancing solicitor in Havant five minutes from me but he is not accepted by Virgin Money
We will our best to assist in finding you a conveyancing solicitor in Havant on the Virgin Money panel. Please note that the property lawyers that we work with do not pay us fee if you instruct them and are under regulation of the SRA who regulate all conveyancing solicitors in Havant. Using search facility on this site, you can compare and instruct different solicitors and conveyancers both nationally and in Havant.
Do you have any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Havant from the perspective of speeding up the sale process?
- Much of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Havant can be avoided if you instruct lawyers the minute you market your property and ask them to collate the leasehold information which will be required by the buyers’ lawyers. The majority of freeholders or managing agents in Havant levy fees for supplying management packs for a leasehold premises. You or your lawyers should enquire as to the fee that they propose to charge. The management pack sought as soon as you have a buyer, thus reducing delays. The typical amount of time it takes to receive management information is three weeks. It is the most frequent reason for frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Havant. Some Havant leases require Landlord’s consent to the sale and approval of the buyers. If this is the case, 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 able to meet 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. If you are supposed to have a share in the freehold, you should ensure that you hold the original share document. Organising a duplicate share certificate can be a lengthy formality and frustrates many a Havant conveyancing deal. Where a duplicate share is required, you should approach the company director and secretary or managing agents (if applicable) for this at the earliest opportunity.
I inherited a leasehold flat in Havant, conveyancing having been completed July 2010. Can you please calculate a probable premium for a statutory lease extension? Comparable properties in Havant with over 90 years remaining are worth £190,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £65 per annum. The lease ceases on 21st October 2085
With only 61 years unexpired the likely cost is going to be between £19,000 and £22,000 plus legals.
The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to supply the actual costs in the absence of detailed due diligence. Do not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be additional concerns that need to be considered and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward based on this information before getting professional advice.