My wife and I are purchasing a 1 bedroom flat in South Acton with a mortgage. We like our South Acton lawyer, but the mortgage company advise he's not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the lender panel solicitors or retain our South Acton conveyancing practitioner and pay for one of their panel lawyers to represent them. We regard this is unjust; can we not insist that the mortgage company use our South Acton property lawyer ?
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 lender’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 South Acton conveyancing solicitor to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.
I used Action Conveyancing several years ago for my conveyancing in South Acton. I now require my papers however cannot find the solicitor. What do I do?
You should contact the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to assist in tracking down your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in South Acton of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously used, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.
I am buying a new build flat in South Acton. Conveyancing is necessary evil at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. Can you give me some examples of some of the questions asked in new build legal work.
Here is a sample of a selection of leasehold new build enquiries that you should expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in South Acton
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Where service of notices and proceedings can be at the property demised please confirm that this can be amended to include simultaneous services at the Lessees’ solicitors’ offices where the Lessee from time to time is not resident in the UK - such solicitors may be varied by notice in writing to the Landlord from time to time but otherwise will be as previously specified. The Lease must contain a provision on behalf of the Vendor to pay the service charges in respect of unoccupied units in order to ensure that all services can be provided. Where there is an Undertaking being granted there is the risk of forfeiture of the Headlease subject to relief if one or more of the Underlessees are willing to accept the original Head Lessee’s obligations as otherwise relief will be denied to the Underlessees. The only alternatives are the Head Lessor agreeing not to forfeit the Headlease or the Head Lessee guaranteeing to the Underlessees that it will not be in breach of the Headlease. The Vendor must covenant to keep unoccupied units in good repair until long leases are granted therefore. Has the Lease plan been approved by the Land Registry and if not when will they be lodged for this purpose?
Over the last few months I have been searching for a ground for flat up to £195,000 and found one close by in South Acton I like with amenity areas and transport links in the vicinity, however it's only got 61 years unexpired on the lease. There is not much else in South Acton for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error purchasing a lease with such few years left?
If you need a home loan the shortness of the lease will likely be problematic. Reduce the offer by the expected lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current owner has owned the premises for a minimum of 2 years you could request that they commence the lease extension formalities and pass it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should speak to your conveyancing solicitor concerning this.
Is it possible to swap conveyancer as I have to appoint a firm on the Britannia conveyancing panel. I hired a local conveyancing solicitor in South Acton five minutes from me but he is not approved by Britannia
We will our best to assist in finding you a conveyancing solicitor in South Acton on the Britannia panel. Please note that the conveyancers that we work with do not pay us commission if you instruct them and are under regulation of the Solicitors Regulation Authority who oversee all conveyancing solicitors in South Acton. In utilising search facility on this page, you can compare and instruct different solicitors and conveyancers both nationally and in South Acton.
I have attempted and failed to negotiate with my landlord for a lease extension without any joy. Can the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal adjudicate on such matters? Can you recommend a South Acton conveyancing firm to act on my behalf?
You certainly can. We can put you in touch with a South Acton conveyancing firm who can help.
An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement case for a South Acton flat is 169 Southfield Road in September 2013. the tribunal decided that the premium to be paid in respect of the collective enfranchisement should be £51,203 This case related to 2 flats. The unexpired residue of the current lease was 64.64 years.
Are there frequently found deficiencies that you witness in leases for South Acton properties?
Leasehold conveyancing in South Acton is not unique. Most leases are individual and drafting errors can sometimes mean that certain provisions are missing. For example, if your lease is missing any of the following, it could be defective:
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Maintenance charge proportions which don’t add up to the correct percentage
A defective lease can cause problems when trying to sell a property primarily because it impacts on the ability to obtain a mortgage on the property. Barclays , Skipton Building Society, and Alliance & Leicester all have express conveyancing instructions when it comes to what is expected in a lease. Where a lender has been advised by their lawyers that the lease is defective they may refuse to provide security, obliging the buyer to withdraw.