Much to our surprise we have been informed by our financial adviser that my Beacon Hill property lawyer is not on the mortgage company Solicitor panel. How can I be certain that this is indeed the case?
The first thing you need to do is to contact your Beacon Hill lawyer directly. It is reasonable to expect your lawyer to inform you what has happened. Where they are not on the panel they may be able to suggest a Beacon Hill conveyancing firm that is on the conveyancing panel for your bank.
My nephew is buying a house that has just been built in Beacon Hill with a home loan from Lloyds. His conveyancer has said that there is a delay in completing the ‘Disclosure of Incentive Form’. Who needs to receive the form?
The document is intended to provide information to the main parties involved in the purchase. Therefore, it will be provided to your son’s lawyer who should be on the Lloyds conveyancing panel as a standard part of the process, and to the valuer when requested. The developer will be required to start the process by downloading the form and completing it. The form will therefore need to be available for the valuer at the time of his or her site visit. The form should be sent to the Lloyds conveyancing panel solicitor as early as possible, in order to avoid any last minute delays, and no later than at exchange of contracts.
I am currently in the process of buying my council flat in Beacon Hill. I have a mortgage agreed with Skipton. Conveyancing is new to me. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should use one. Any advice?
It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with Skipton, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Skipton conveyancing panel.
I currently have a mortgage with Clydesdale for my property in Beacon Hill. Conveyancing has been completed a year ago. If I am intending to rent out my property and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a buy-to-let mortgage or inform Clydesdale?
You must advise Clydesdale before renting your property as this is likely to be a breach of Clydesdale’s mortgage conditions. It may be that Clydesdale will permit you to let out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact Clydesdale directly. It should not be necessary to do this via a Clydesdale conveyancing panel solicitor.
I recently had an offer agreed on a house in Beacon Hill. My mortgage broker recommended their conveyancers. I paid an upfront payment of £225. A few days later, the solicitor called me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the HSBC conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?
You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the HSBC panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.
I need some fast conveyancing in Beacon Hill as I am faced with pressure to exchange contracts inside one month. Fortunately I do not require a mortgage. Is it possible to escape the need for conveyancing searches to save money and time?
As you are not taking a home loan you have the choice not to have searches carried out although no solicitor would suggest that you don't. Drawing on our experience of conveyancing in Beacon Hill the following are examples of issues that can show up and adversely affect the marketability of the property: Enforcement Actions, Outstanding Fees, Overdue Grants, Railway Schemes,...
Over the last few months I have been searching for a leasehold apartment up to £235,500 and identified one near me in Beacon Hill I like with open areas and transport links in the vicinity, however it only has 51 years unexpired on the lease. There is not much else in Beacon Hill in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error purchasing a short lease?
If you need a mortgage that many years will likely be a potential deal breaker. Discount the price by the expected lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current proprietor has owned the property for a minimum of 2 years you may request that they commence the lease extension formalities and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor about this matter.
My cousin has recommend that I use his conveyancers in Beacon Hill. Do I take his recommendation?
There are no two ways about it the best way to select a conveyancing lawyer is to seek guidance from friends or family who have previously instructed the conveyancer that you are are thinking of instructing.