Is there a search tool that I can use to investigate if the solicitor carrying out my conveyancing in Berkeley is on the bank’sconveyancing panel? I am looking to avoid the situation of having one lawyer for me and one for Yorkshire Building Society thus paying £192.00 in another set of conveyancing bill.
Please do take advantage of the search tool on this web page. Pick the mortgage company and type ‘Berkeley’ or your location and you will see a number of lawyer offices in Berkeley or by proximity to you.
A friend informed me that in purchasing a property in Berkeley there could be various restrictions prohibiting external alterations to a property. Is this right?
There are anumerous of properties in Berkeley which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to perform external variations. Part of the conveyancing in Berkeley should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.
Last month we had a mortgage agreed in principle with RBS. Berkeley conveyancing solicitors have been selected. What is the average time that one could expect to receive a mortgage offer from RBS?
There is no definitive answer here. Have RBS completed the survey? Have you advised RBS as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the RBS conveyancing panel? It is not unusual for a mortgage offer to take a month to come through.
After shopping around on the internet I have found a Berkeley solicitor having made sure that they are on the Santander conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?
Santander will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Santander 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. You may wish to consider appointing your own Berkeley surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller.
Me and my brother purchased a renovated Edwardian property in Berkeley. Conveyancing practitioner represented me and Bank of Ireland. I did a free Land Registry search last week and I saw a couple of entries: the first freehold, another for leasehold with the matching property. I'd like to know for sure, how can I find out??
You should read the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register as there may be mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Berkeley and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they buy they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with lenders. You can also check the position with the conveyancing practitioner who completed the work.
How does conveyancing in Berkeley differ for new build properties?
Most buyers of new build premises in Berkeley approach us having been asked by the builder to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the house is finished. This is because house builders in Berkeley typically purchase the land, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct conveyancing solicitors as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are accustomed to new build conveyancing in Berkeley or who has acted in the same development.
I have been on the look out for a ground for flat up to £235,500 and found one close by in Berkeley I like with amenity areas and station in the vicinity, however it's only got 49 years unexpired on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Berkeley in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error purchasing a short lease?
If you need a home loan that many years may be problematic. Reduce the price by the anticipated lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the existing owner has owned the premises for at least 2 years you can request that they start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease term and have £0 ground rent by law. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer concerning this matter.
I am thinking of appointing a conveyancing lawyer in Berkeley for my remortgage. Can I review a firm’s record with the legal regulator?
One can see presented Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) decisions arising from investigations started on or after Jan 2008. Visit Check a solicitor's record. For details about the period before 1 January 2008, or to check a solicitors record, ring 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 any week day save for Tuesday when lines open at 9.30am. International callers, dial +44 (0)121 329 6800. The SRA could recorded call for training purposes.