My wife and I are intending to acquire a 1 bedroom apartment in Bradford On Avon with a mortgage. We would like to retain our Bradford On Avon conveyancer, but the mortgage company advise she’s not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the mortgage company panel firms or retain our Bradford On Avon property lawyer as well as pay for one of their panel firms to act for them. This seems very unfair; are we not able to demand that the bank use our Bradford On Avon lawyer ?
No, not really. Your mortgage offer is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the bank’s conveyancing panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. Another option that might be available is for your Bradford On Avon conveyancing lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.
My brother-in-law has suggested I instruct a conveyancing solicitor in Bradford On Avon. I I am struggling to find out if they are accepted on the Skipton Building Society approved list of lawyers. Could you or the lender confirm if they are on the panel?
You should contact your lawyer and ask them whether they are on the lender panel. Otherwise you can get in touch with Skipton Building Society who may be able to confirm.
I acquired my house on 3 May and my personal details are still not on the land registry website. Any reason for this? My conveyancing solicitor in Bradford On Avon expressed confidence that it should be registered in a couple of weeks. Are properties in Bradford On Avon particularly slow to register?
There is nothing unique about conveyancing in Bradford On Avon registration formalities. Rather than based on location, timeframes can adjust depending on the party submitting the application, whether it is in order and whether the Land registry must send notices to any 3rd parties. At present in the region of 80% of such applications are completed in less than three weeks but occasionally there can be protracted hold-ups. Registration occurs once the buyer has moved in to the property so post completion formalities is not always primary concern but where there is a degree of urgency associated with the registration then you or your conveyancer could communicate with the Registry to express the reasoning for an expedited registration.
I opted to have a survey carried out on a house in Bradford On Avon before appointing lawyers. I have been told that there is a flying freehold aspect to the property. The surveyor has said that some mortgage companies tend refuse to issue a mortgage on such a home.
It varies from the lender to lender. Santander has different requirements for example to Birmingham Midshires. If you e-mail us we can investigate further with the appropriate lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Bradford On Avon. Conveyancing can be more complicated and therefore you should check with your conveyancing solicitor in Bradford On Avon to see if the conveyancing will be more expensive.
I have been advised by numerous property agents in Bradford On Avon to choose a solicitor using your seach tool. Is there a financial incentive for Estate Agents to recommend your services ahead of a competitor’s?
We don’t give any referral fee for pointing buyers and sellers our way. We thought it would be too underhand to pay a commission as a client could think, ‘Why is the agent getting a kickback? Why aren’t I getting any benefit too?’ So we decided to step away from that.
There are only 68 years left on my flat in Bradford On Avon. I now want to get lease extension but my freeholder is absent. What options are available to me?
If you qualify, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can submit an application to the County Court for an order to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will mean that your lease can be lengthened by the Court. You will be obliged to prove that you have made all reasonable attempts to find the freeholder. In some cases a specialist would be useful to carry out a search and prepare an expert document which can be used as evidence that the freeholder is indeed missing. It is wise to seek advice from a property lawyer both on investigating the landlord’s disappearance and the vesting order request to the County Court overseeing Bradford On Avon.
Bradford On Avon Leasehold Conveyancing - Sample of Queries Prior to buying
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Are any of leasehold owners in dispute over their service charge payments? You should be aware if it is less than eighty years it will impact the value of the flat. Check with your bank that they are content with remaining years on the lease. A short lease means that you will probably have to extend the lease at some point and it is worth finding out what this would cost. Remember, in most cases you will need to own the residence for two years in order to be entitled to extend the lease. Who are the managing agents?