We are soon to complete on the purchase of a house in Blackheath but as a consequence of damage from some water damage at the property I have managed to agree reparation from the seller of £3k taking the form of a adjustment in the price. I had intended this to be dealt with as part of amending the contract however Nationwide are not allowing this. Why were they approached?
Your solicitor being on a Nationwide approved list is obliged to advise Nationwide of any variations to the sale price. If you were to refuse your lawyer to report the price change to Nationwide then they would have to discontinue acting for you. In addition, Nationwide and you would have to appoint a new conveyancer for your conveyancing in Blackheath.
There are a variety of conveyancing solicitors in Blackheath but how do I know who's good?
Do not opt for the cheapest Blackheath conveyancing costs illustration. You really do get what you’re paying for when it comes to conveyancing solicitors. A cheap quote may mean that the conveyancing solicitor is handling a lot of jobs at one time and you won’t get the quality of service and the attention that you need. It is, however, wise to use a conveyancer who has a fixed fee on a no sale, no fee basis. This way, you know exactly what you’ll have to pay in ahead of time.
I am buying a detached bungalow in Blackheath. The intention is to convert the garage to an office at the house.Will legal conveyancing on the property include enquiries to see if these works are prohibited?
Your solicitor will check the deeds as conveyancing in Blackheath can occasionally identify restrictions in the title deeds which prohibit categories of alterations or require the consent of a 3rd party. Many additions call for local authority planning consent and approval in accordance building regulations. Many locations are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which often prevent or impact extensions. It would be sensible to check these issues with a surveyor ahead of any purchase.
The formalities of my purchase has taken place for my property in Blackheath. Conveyancing was satisfactory but I would like to complain about the lender. How does one go about formally complaining?
Most lenders have complaints procedures. Your first port of call should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Services Department at head office. Ordinarily complaints to a lender are resolved effectively and efficiently. If you feel the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service who will take matters further.
The deeds to my property are lost. The solicitors who handled the conveyancing in Blackheath 4 years ago have long since closed. What are my options?
Assuming the title is registered the details of your ownership will be held by the Land Registry with a Title Number. It is easy to carry out a search at the Land Registry, find your house and secure current copies of the Registered Entries for a small fee. If the title is Leasehold then the Land Registry will also normally retain a file duplicate of the Registered Lease and again, a copy can be ordered for a small fee.
I have been on the look out for a leasehold apartment up to £195,000 and identified one round the corner in Blackheath I like with amenity areas and railway links nearby, however it only has 52 years unexpired on the lease. There is not much else in Blackheath for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error purchasing a lease with such few years left?
If you require a home loan the shortness of the lease will be a potential deal breaker. Discount the price by the anticipated lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current owner has owned the property for at least 2 years you could ask them to commence the lease extension formalities and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease term with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor concerning this.
In searching the web for the phrase cheap conveyancing in Blackheath it shows results of many property lawyersin the vicinity. With so much choice what is the best way to find the suitable solicitor for the sale of my house?
The ideal method of finding the right conveyancer is through a trusted referral, so seek the guidance of colleagues and those you trust who have purchased a property in Blackheath or a reputable estate agent or financial adviser. Costs for conveyancing in Blackheath differ, so it's sensible to request a minimum of four costs illustrations from varying types of solicitors. Make sure that you know that the charges are guaranteed not to to be inflated.
We own a leasehold flat in Blackheath. Conveyancing was completed in 2010. I have heard that I should not let the lease length get too low. Why is that a problem?
Blackheath domestic long term leases are for a prescribed period - often ninety nine years when they are first granted. However many appartments in Blackheath were built or converted in the 70’s80’s and so these leases now have under 80 years left to run. That may sound like plenty of time however Banks, Building Societies and other mortgage companies on the whole require leases to have a minimum of seventy five years unexpired to adequate security. This means that when you come to sell the property you will need a lease extension if you are nearing 75 years. To enhance your property value you should be thinking about whether to extend your lease well in advance of selling the property. Please note that there are strong financial reasons to taking action before the lease reaches even 80 years as when the lease falls below eighty years the premium to be paid to extend starts to escalate.