What does my ID and proof of funds have anything to do with my conveyancing in Alford? What am I being asked for?
You are right in the requirement set out by your lawyer has nothing to do with conveyancing in Alford. However these days you can not complete any conveyancing deal without first providing evidence of your identity. This usually takes the form of a either your passport or driving licence as well as a council tax bill. Please note that if you are supplying your driving licence as evidence of identification it needs to be both the paper part as well as the photo card part, one is not sufficient without the other.
Verification of your origin of money is mandated under Money Laundering Regulations. You should not be offended when you are asked to produce this as your conveyancer will need to retain this information on file. Your Alford conveyancing solicitor will require evidence of proof of funds before they are able to accept any money from you into their client account and they should also ask further questions regarding the origin of monies.
Is it the case that all Alford solicitor practices on the RBS conveyancing panel are regulated by the SRA?
As solicitors, in order to be on the RBS approved list of solicitors they would need to be overseen by the SRA. Some banks do permit licenced conveyancers on their panel and in such a situation the firms would be overseen by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.
We have agreed to purchase a house in Alford. A rare aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Solicitors conducting should look into this right? Will my lender Nottingham be concerned?
As your lender is Nottingham your lawyer must check the formal requirements contained in Part two of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Nottingham. The CML Handbook sets out minimum conditions for solar panel roof-space leases, and lawyers are required to report to Nottingham where a lease fails to meet these provisions. The requirements relate to the installation of panels on properties countrywide and is not restricted to Alford.
Having digested plenty of house buying guides, I note that they all recommend that you should get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Alford solicitor - who is on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. Is that normal?
Leeds Building Society will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Leeds Building Society will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. Your property lawyer will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by your Alford postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Leeds Building Society, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Alford.
I used Wolstenholmes a few years ago for my conveyancing in Alford. I now require my file but cannot find the solicitor. What do I do?
Do 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 Alford of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously retained, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.
I am purchasing a new build house in Alford with a mortgage from Norwich and Peterborough Building Society. The builders would not budge the amount so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of additionals instead. The property agent advised me not reveal to my lawyer about the side-deal as it would adversely affect my mortgage with the bank. Is this normal?.
All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the builder of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.
Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.
Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.
Given that I will soon part with £400,000 on 3 bedroom house in Alford I wish to talk to a lawyer about myhome move ahead of instructing the firm. Can this be arranged?
Absolutely - we would be delighted to talk to you we do not take any clients on without you liaising with the conveyancer who will be doing your property ownership legalities in Alford.There is no ‘factory style conveyancing’ - every client is an important individual, not a case reference. The practices that we put you in touch with believe that the fees you are calculated and presented to you for residential conveyancing in Alford should be the figure that you are charged.
What advice can you give us when it comes to choosing a Alford conveyancing firm to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?
If you are instructing a property lawyer for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Alford conveyancing practice) it is essential that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We advise that you talk with two or three firms including non Alford conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. The following questions might be helpful:
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If the firm is not ALEP accredited then why not?
Alford Leasehold Conveyancing - Sample of Queries before Purchasing
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It is important to be aware whether fixing the lift or some other significant cost is due in the near future to be shared by the tenants and will materially impact the level of the maintenance charges or require a one off payment. It would be sensible to discover as much as possible concerning the company managing the block as they can either make life much simpler or problematic. As the owner of a leasehold property you will be at the mercy of the managing agents from a financial perspective and when it comes to day to day matters such as the cleanliness of the common parts. Don't be afraid to ask other tenants what they think of their service. In conclusion, find out the dates that the service fees are due to the managing agents and specifically what you get for your money. For many Alford leaseholds the cost for major works tend not to be included within service charges, although there some managing agents in Alford ask leasehold owners to contribute towards a sinking fund created for the specific purpose of establishing a fund for major repairs or maintenance.