My partner and I are hoping to buy a home in Blackwood and are in fact using a Blackwood conveyancing firm. Within the past 48 hours our lawyer has forwarded the sale agreement to be signed with a detailed report in anticipation of exchanging contracts shortly. Platform Home Loans Ltd have this morning contacted us to advise us that there is now an issue as our Blackwood conveyancer is not on their approved list of lawyers. What do we do from here?
When purchasing a property with the benefit of a mortgage it is standard for the purchasers' lawyers to also act for the mortgage company. In order to act for a bank or building society a law firm has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the law firm to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the firm has to satisfy and indeed some lenders now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme. Your property lawyer should contact your lender and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own lawyers to represent them. You are not legally obliged to appoint a law firm on the lender’s conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own Blackwood solicitors, in which case your legal fees may increase, and it may delay matters as you are adding another lawyer into the mix.
We are expecting a mortgage offer soon. The lender mentioned the home loan came with free conveyancing. Is the implication that I have to instruct their panel lawyer as I would prefer to appoint a local conveyancing solicitor in Blackwood?
You should check but the chances are that appoint one of their panel lawyers where you want the "fee-free" deal. Call the bank and determine if they offer you a monetary alternative. It is not unheard for a lender to give a £250 cashback as an alternative in which case you could put that amount towards the cost for your conveyancing solicitor in Blackwood.
I am purchasing a terrace house in Blackwood. The intention is to carry out an extension to the side at the property.Will legal due diligence on the property include investigations to ascertain if these works are allowed?
Your conveyancer will review the registered title as conveyancing in Blackwood will on occasion identify restrictions in the title documents which prohibit categories of changes or require the permission of another owner. Some works call for local authority planning consent and approval in compliance with building regulations. Certain areas are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which often prevent or impact extensions. It would be prudent to check these things with a surveyor prior to committing yourself to a purchase.
I have been advised by my solicitor that lack of building regulations insurance is needed on my purchase. What is the typical level of cover needed for conveyancing in Blackwood?
The right level of lack of building regulations indemnity insurance depends on who your lender is. It would differ for example between National Westminster Bank and Bank of Scotland. Conveyancing solicitors as opposed to members of the public take out such insurances.
I am currently in the process of buying my council flat in Blackwood. I have a mortgage agreed with Barclays. Conveyancing is new to me. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should have 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 Barclays, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Barclays conveyancing panel.
Should commercial conveyancing searches reveal planned roadworks that could affect a commercial estate in Blackwood?
Many commercial conveyancing solicitors in Blackwood will conduct a SiteSolutions Highways report as it dramatically cuts the time that conveyancers expend in researching accurate data on highways that impact buildings and development assets in Blackwood. The search result sets out definitive data on the adoption status of roads, footpaths and verges, as well as the implication of traffic schemes and the rights of way surrounding a commercial development sites in Blackwood.
For every commercial conveyancing transaction in Blackwood it is critical to investigate the adoption status of roads surrounding a site. Failure to identify developments where adoption procedures have not been dealt with adequately may result in delays to Blackwood commercial conveyancing deals as well as present a risk to future intentions for the site. These searches are not conducted for residential conveyancing in Blackwood.
I used Stirling Law several years ago for my conveyancing in Blackwood. Now, I need the files but the law firm is no longer operating. What do I do?
Do call the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to help locate your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Blackwood of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously retained, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.
We expect to complete the disposal of our £450,000 maisonette in Blackwood next week. The freeholder has quoted £408 for Certificate of Compliance, building insurance schedule and previous years service charge statements. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge an administration fee for a leasehold conveyance in Blackwood?
Blackwood conveyancing on leasehold flats usually results in fees being invoiced by landlords agents :
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Addressing conveyancing due diligence enquiries
Where consent is required before sale in Blackwood
Copies of the building insurance and schedule
Deeds of covenant upon sale
Registering of the assignment of the change of lessee after a sale
I invested in buying a ground floor flat in Blackwood, conveyancing was carried out in 1995. Can you please calculate a probable premium for a statutory lease extension? Comparable flats in Blackwood with an extended lease are worth £191,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £55 levied per year. The lease expires on 21st October 2078
You have 53 years remaining on your lease we estimate the price of your lease extension to range between £27,600 and £31,800 as well as costs.
The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to provide a more accurate figure without more comprehensive investigations. You should not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt other issues that need to be taken into account and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not take any other action based on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.