Recently been in touch with my conveyancing lawyer in Bishops Stortford who acted for me 18 months ago asking for a conveyancing quote based on the same type of house sale & purchase (a leasehold residence and a freehold premises) of almost identical values with a loan from Halifax. It looks as though am now being quoted twice the amount. Stick with what I know or should I try and find a cheaper online firm of conveyancing solicitor?
The costs illustration is slightly on the high side. If you you were to look around you might reduce the fees slightly by as much as a hundred pounds. That being said, if you were pleased with the assistance the firm offered you maycome to regret opting for an an untested lawyer. Don't forget to be sure the firm can represent Halifax. You can utilise our search tool to get a quote a Bishops Stortford conveyancing firm on the Halifax member panel, which can often include conveyancing solicitors in Bishops Stortford.
It is 10 years ago since I purchased my property in Bishops Stortford. Conveyancing solicitors have recently been retained on the sale but I am unable to locate the title documents. Will this cause complications?
You need not be too concerned. First there is a possibility that the deeds will be retained by your lender or they may be in the possession of the lawyers who handled the purchase. Secondly in all probability the land will be registered at the land registry and you will be able to prove you are the registered owner by your conveyancing solicitors obtaining current official copies of the land registers. Almost all conveyancing in Bishops Stortford involves registered property but in the rare situation where your home is not registered it is more of a problem but is not insurmountable.
I have been told that property searches are a common cause of hinderance in Bishops Stortford house deals. Is there any truth in this?
The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) released findings of research by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not figure within the most frequent causes of hindrances during the legal transfer of property. Searches are unlikely to be the root cause of holding up conveyancing in Bishops Stortford.
My wife and I have a renovated Edwardian property in Bishops Stortford. Conveyancing solicitor acted for me and The Royal Bank of Scotland. I did a free Land Registry search last week and there are two entries: the first freehold, the second leasehold under the exact same address. Is it worth asking The Royal Bank of Scotland to clarify?
You need to review 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 proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Bishops Stortford and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they mortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with lenders. You can also question the situation with the conveyancing lawyer who conducted the purchase.
I'm buying a new build house in Bishops Stortford with a mortgage from Nottingham Building Society. The builders refused to move on the amount so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of additionals instead. The house builders rep told me not disclose to my lawyer about the deal as it may affect my loan with Nottingham Building Society. Do I keep my lawyer in the dark?.
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.
Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold element on a property I put an offer in two weeks back in what was supposed to be a straight forward, chain free conveyancing. Bishops Stortford is where the house is located. Can you offer any guidance?
Flying freeholds in Bishops Stortford are unusual but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside Bishops Stortford you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds diligently. Your mortgage company may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Bishops Stortford may decide that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold property.