It is a dozen years since I bought my home in Boston. Conveyancing lawyers have recently been retained on the sale but I am unable to find the title deeds. Will this jeopardise the sale?
Don’t worry too much. Firstly the deeds may be with your lender or they may stored with the conveyancers who oversaw the purchase. Secondly in all probability the land will be registered at the land registry and you will be able to prove you own the property by your conveyancing lawyers procuring up to date copy of the land registers. Almost all conveyancing in Boston involves registered property but in the unlikely event that your property is not registered it adds to the complexity but is not insurmountable.
I am buying a victorian detached house in Boston. We would like to carry out an extension to the side at the property.Will the conveyancing process include investigations to see if these works are prohibited?
Your conveyancer will review the deeds as conveyancing in Boston will sometimes reveal restrictions in the title deeds which prohibit certain changes or require the consent of another owner. Certain works call for local authority planning permissions and approval in compliance with building regulations. Some areas are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which frequently prevent or affect extensions. It would be prudent to check these things with a surveyor before you commit yourself to a purchase.
Two weeks ago we had a mortgage agreed in principle with Principality. Boston conveyancing lawyers are instructed. What is the average time that one could expect to receive a mortgage offer from Principality?
There is no definitive answer here. Have Principality completed the valuation? Have you informed Principality as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the Principality conveyancing panel? Sometimes it can take as long as six weeks for a mortgage offer to be issued.
I have decided to exercise my right to buy my property in Boston off the council. I have a mortgage offer with Lloyds. Conveyancing is not something I have any knowledge of. 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 Lloyds, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Lloyds conveyancing panel.
I have todaydiscovered that Wolstenholmes have closed. They conducted my conveyancing in Boston for a purchase of a leasehold apartment 10 months ago. How can I be sure that the property is registered correctly in the name of the former proprietor?
The easiest way to see if the property is in your name, you can make a search of the land registry (£3.00). You can either do this yourself or ask a law firm to do this for you. If you are not registered you can seek help from one of a number of Boston conveyancing specialists.
I opted to have a survey done on a house in Boston ahead of appointing conveyancers. I have been informed that there is a flying freehold overhang to the property. The surveyor advised that some mortgage companies will refuse to issue a mortgage on a flying freehold house.
It varies from the lender to lender. HSBC has different instructions from Nationwide. Should you wish to call us we can check with the relevant mortgage company. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Boston. Conveyancing will be smoother if you use a solicitor in Boston especially if they are familiar with such properties in Boston.
My husband and I are novice buyers - agreed a price, but the selling agent has warned us that the owners will only issue a contract if we instruct their recommended conveyancers as they want a ‘quick sale’. We would rather use a family solicitor with experience of conveyancing in Boston
We suspect that the seller is not behind this demand. If they require ‘a quick sale', alienating a motivated buyer is counter productive. Contact the owners directly and make sure they comprehend that (a)you are genuine purchasers (b)you are ready to progress, with mortgage lined up © you are chain free (d) you wish to move quickly (e)however you will continue to appoint your own,trusted Boston conveyancing lawyers - not the ones that will give the estate agent a kickback or hit his conveyancing targets set by head office.
I am intending to let out my leasehold flat in Boston. Conveyancing solicitor who did the purchase is retired - so can't ask him. Do I need to ask my freeholder for permission?
A small minority of properties in Boston do contain a provision to say that subletting is only allowed with permission. The landlord cannot unreasonably withhold but, in such cases, they would need to see references. Experience dictates that problems are usually caused by unsatisfactory tenants rather than owner-occupiers and for that reason you can expect the freeholder to take up the references and consider them carefully before granting consent.
Leasehold Conveyancing in Boston - Examples of Queries Prior to buying
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Is the freehold reversion owned jointly by the tenants? Best to be warned if a new roof is being put on or some other major work is due shortly to be shared by the leaseholders and could well dramatically increase the the maintenance costs or require a one off invoice. Most Boston leasehold flats will incur a service charge for the upkeep of the block levied on behalf of the freeholder. Where you acquire the apartment you will have to pay this amount, normally in instalments throughout the year. This may differ from a couple of hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for large purpose-built blocks. In all likelihood there will be a ground rent for you to pay yearly, this is usually not a significant figure, say approximately £25-£75 but you should to enquire as occasionally it could be many hundreds of pounds.