I am getting a offer of a home loan from Santander. I intend to use a Licensed Conveyancer in Berkshire. Does the Santander Solicitor panel exclude Licensed Conveyancers?
The Santander approved solicitor list is, like many other lenders, represented by the CML or BSA, open to Licensed Conveyancers regulated by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.
The Berkshire conveyancing firm that I recently instructed on my house acquisition in Berkshire have suddenly closed. They were on acting for me because I had to have a lawyer on the TSB conveyancing panel and my family Berkshire lawyer was not. I paid them 275 plus VAT on account. What should be my next steps?
Assuming that you have an Estate Agent in the equation then inform them straight away so that they advise the vendors that there may be a slight delay due to reasons beyond your control. Hopefully they will be sympathetic and urge their lawyer to send a new set of papers to your new solicitors. You will need to appoint new lawyers that are on the TSB conveyancing panel and notify the lender. If you have paid over any money, it will hopefully be held by the SRA as money in an intervened firm's bank accounts is transferred to the SRA. Then, the SRA or the intervention agent looks at the intervened firm's accounts to work out who the money belongs to. To claim your money you will need to contact the SRA. If the SRA cannot return money you are owed from the firm's bank accounts, or if they can only return part of the money, you can apply to the Compensation Fund for a grant. Your new solicitors should be in a position to help.
My wife and I are intent on selling our house in Berkshire and according to the buyers it appears that there is a possibility that the property was built on contaminated land. A local lawyer would know that there is no such problem. It does beg the question why the purchasers are using a web based conveyancing firm as opposed to a conveyancing solicitor in Berkshire. Having lived in Berkshire for six years we know of no issue. Should we contact our local Authority to obtain clarification that the buyers are looking for.
It would appear that you have a conveyancing firm currently acting for you. What do they say? You need to 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 illness)
I opted to have a survey carried out on a property in Berkshire before retaining conveyancers. I have been informed that there is a flying freehold aspect to the property. The surveyor has said that some banks will not issue a loan on such a house.
It depends who your proposed lender is. Bank of Scotland has different requirements for example to Birmingham Midshires. If you call us we can check with the appropriate bank. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Berkshire. Conveyancing will be smoother if you use a solicitor in Berkshire especially if they are accustomed to such properties in Berkshire.
My husband and I are 17 days into a residential purchase having been recommend to a firm by the estate agent to perform conveyancing in Berkshire. We are not happy. Could you help me find new solicitors?
They would need to be really poor to suggest diss instructing them. Has your loan offer been sent? In the event that it has you need to make them aware of the new solicitor and get the offer are re-issued. Your solicitor ideally needs to be on the lenders approved list to avoid supplemental charges and frustration. That should be your first question of the new lawyers. The search tool can help you find a lender approved lawyer for your conveyancing in Berkshire
I today plan to offer on a house that seems to tick a lot of boxes, at a reasonable figure which is making it all the more appealing. I have just been informed that it's a leasehold rather than freehold. I would have thought that there are issues purchasing a leasehold house in Berkshire. Conveyancing solicitors have not yet been appointed. Will my lawyers set out the risks of buying a leasehold house in Berkshire ?
The majority of houses in Berkshire are freehold rather than leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local solicitor used to dealing with such properties who can assist with the conveyancing process. We note that you are purchasing in Berkshire in which case you should be shopping around for a Berkshire conveyancing practitioner and be sure that they are used to dealing with leasehold houses. As a matter of priority you will need to check the unexpired lease term. As a leaseholder you will not be at liberty to do whatever you want to the property. The lease comes with conditions such as requiring the freeholder’spermission to carry out alterations. You may also be required to pay a maintenance charge towards the maintenance of the communal areas where the property is part of an estate. Your solicitor should appraise you on the various issues.
Leasehold Conveyancing in Berkshire - Sample of Questions you should consider before buying
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Plenty Berkshire leasehold apartments will incur a service bill for the upkeep of the block levied on behalf of the landlord. Should you purchase the property you will have to meet this charge, usually periodically during the year. This may be anything from two or three hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for bigger purpose-built buildings. In all probability there will be a ground rent to be met annual, ordinarily this is not a significant figure, say about £25-£75 but you need to enquire as occasionally it could be many hundreds of pounds. In the main the cost for major works tend not to be built into the service charges, albeit that a few managing agents in Berkshire ask leaseholders to pay into a sinking fund created for the specific intention of establishing a fund for larger repairs or maintenance. Be sure to discover if there is anything that is prohibited in the lease. By way of example plenty of leases prohibit pets being permitted in in a block in Berkshire. If you like the flatin Berkshire but your cat is not allowed to live with you then you will be presented with a hard decision.