My partner and I are planning to buy a flat in Borth and have appointed a Borth conveyancing firm. Within the past 48 hours our property lawyer has sent a preliminary report and documents to look through with a view to exchanging next week. Yorkshire Building Society have this morning contacted us to inform me that there is now an issue as our Borth conveyancer is not on their conveyancing panel. What do we do from here?
When purchasing a property with mortgage finance it is usual for the purchasers' solicitors to also represent the purchaser's lender. 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 bank 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 don't have to instruct a firm on the lender’s conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own Borth solicitors, in which case your legal fees may increase, and it may delay matters as you are adding another lawyer into the mix.
How up to date is your database of Borth solicitors on the Aldermore conveyancing panel? Do Aldermore send you an updated list?
Borth conveyancing firms themselves provide us confirmation that they are on the Aldermore conveyancing panel as opposed to being supplied with a list from Aldermore directly.
Various online forums that I have come across warn that are the number one reason for obstruction in Borth house deals. Is there any truth in this?
The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) released conclusions of research by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not figure amongst the top 10 causes of delays during the legal transfer of property. Searches are unlikely to be the root cause of delay in conveyancing in Borth.
How does conveyancing in Borth differ for new build properties?
Most buyers of new build property in Borth approach us having been asked by the developer to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the house is constructed. This is because new home sellers in Borth typically buy the real estate, 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 property lawyers 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 Borth or who has acted in the same development.
Estate agents have just been given the go-ahead to market my 2 bed apartment in Borth. Conveyancing is yet to be initiated, but I have recently had a half-yearly service charge demand – should I leave it to the buyer to sort out?
Your conveyancing lawyer is likely to suggest that you should pay the service charge as normal as all rents and maintenance invoices will be apportioned on completion, so you will be reimbursed by the buyer for the period running from after the completion date to the next payment date. Most managing agents will not acknowledge the buyer unless the service charges have been paid and are up to date, so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. This will smooth the conveyancing process.
I acquired a leasehold flat in Borth, conveyancing formalities finalised April 2001. Can you give me give me an indication of the likely cost of a lease extension? Similar properties in Borth with an extended lease are worth £175,000. The ground rent is £65 per annum. The lease finishes on 21st October 2080
With 58 years remaining on your lease we estimate the price of your lease extension to span between £21,900 and £25,200 as well as plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.
The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to supply a more accurate figure in the absence of detailed investigations. You should not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be other issues that need to be considered and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you move forward based on this information before getting professional advice.
When it comes to my conveyancing in Borth should I be charged VAT on the following: (1) Land reg fee on purchase (2) Pre - completion search fee (3) SDLT E submission on purchase (4) Bank TT fee
(1) Land reg fee on purchase - No (2) Pre - completion search fees -No, (such conveyancing searches are HMLR ones and means £4 and possibly £2 bankruptcy per name on your mortgage) (3) SDLT E submission on your purchase - There is no VAT on Stamp Duty. However if the firm is charging a stamp duty e-submission fee as part of their services - some Borth conveyancers do - that will incur VAT(4) Bank transfer fee - Yes it is for the property lawyer's time in submitting the funds this way.