Am I correct in assuming that the fact that my solicitor in Acocks Green is not on my bank's solicitor panel that there is a problem with the quality of her work?
It would be unwise to jump to that conclusion. There are all sorts of perfectly plausible explanations. Just recently a report by the solicitors regulator revealed that over three quarters of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The top 5 reasons are as follows: (1) lack of transactions (2) the lawyer is a sole practitioner (3) as part of the HSBC panel reduction (4) regulatory contact by SRA (5) accidental removal. Should you be concerned you should simply call the Acocks Green conveyancing practice and enquire why they are no longer on the approved list for your lender.
I am buying a house mortgage free in Acocks Green. I have resided for the previous Seventeen years in Acocks Green. Conveyancing searches are exorbitant. Given that I know the area and road intimately should I not bother getting the solicitor to do all the conveyancing searches?
If you not getting a home loan, then the vast majority of the Acocks Green conveyancing searches are at your discretion. Your lawyer will 'advise', no-doubt strongly, that you should have searches done, but he is duty bound to do this. One thing to take into account; if you are likely to sell the house one day, it will be of interest to your prospective buyer what the searches reveal. There are plenty of instances where houses with no practical issues can still show up unpredicted search results. A good conveyancing solicitor in Acocks Green will provide you some sensible guidance concerning this.
Is it necessary during the course of the conveyancing process to visit the offices of the solicitor to execute the legal charge? If so, I will appoint a lawyer who conducts conveyancing in Acocks Green so that I can pop in to their offices if required.
Whereas this was necessary ten years ago, almost all mortgage companies no longer oblige their conveyancing panel lawyer to witness the mortgagors signature. You will still be obliged to hand over ID documents and there are still distinct advantages to instructing a local ayer, in your case a conveyancing solicitor in Acocks Green.
My wife and I are purchasing a flat in Acocks Green. It might be a silly question but how we can trust a lawyer? On completion day we will need to send money into their account. What protection do we have from them run away with our deposit?
Be assured that all money in a Solicitors client account is 100% safe, and even if your Solicitor ran off with it, the Law Society would reimburse you fully.
If you had a top tip for choosing a conveyancing solicitor in Acocks Green what would it be?
It would be unwise to be seduced by the lowest Acocks Green conveyancing quote. You really do get what you’re paying for when it comes to property lawyers. A cheap quote may mean that the conveyancing solicitor is handling a lot of jobs at one time and you won’t get the quality of service and the attention that you need. It is, however, wise to use a conveyancer who has a fixed fee on a no sale, no fee basis. This way, you know exactly what you’ll have to pay in ahead of time.
My partner and I have arranged a further advance on our home loan from Santander as we intend to conduct improvements to our home in Acocks Green. Do we need to choose a bricks and mortar Acocks Green solicitor on the Santander conveyancing panel to deal with the legals?
Santander would not normally instruct a member of their conveyancing panel to deal with such a matter. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Santander conveyancing panel.
We are close to exchanging contracts on the sale of our property in Acocks Green and according to the buyers it appears that there is a risk of it being built on contaminated land. Any local conveyancer would know that there is no such problem. For the life of me I don't know why the buyers used an internet conveyancing outfit as opposed to a conveyancing solicitor in Acocks Green. We have lived in Acocks Green for many years we know that this is a non issue. Should we contact our local Authority to obtain clarification that there is no issue.
It sounds as though you may have a conveyancing solicitor currently acting for you. What do they say? You should 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 health insurance to cover that same ailment)
I have just appointed agents to market my basement apartment in Acocks Green. Conveyancing is yet to be initiated, but I have recently had a half-yearly maintenance charge demand – Do I pay up?
It best that you discharge the maintenance contribution as you normally would given that all rents and service payments will be allotted as part of the financial calculations for completion monies, so you will be reimbursed by the buyer for the period running from after the completion date to the next payment date. Most management companies will not acknowledge the buyer until the service charges have been paid and are up to date, so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. This will smooth the conveyancing process.
I inherited a 2 bed flat in Acocks Green, conveyancing having been completed March 2009. Can you please calculate a probable premium for a statutory lease extension? Equivalent flats in Acocks Green with an extended lease are worth £180,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £65 invoiced annually. The lease finishes on 21st October 2084
With 59 years left to run the likely cost is going to range between £20,900 and £24,200 plus professional fees.
The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to advice on a more accurate figure in the absence of detailed investigations. Do not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt additional concerns that need to be taken into account and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not move forward placing reliance on this information without first getting professional advice.