I have been recommended a conveyancing solicitor in Brentwood. I I am struggling to find out whether they are accepted on the HSBC Bank approved list of lawyers. Could you advise?
You should call your solicitor and enquire whether they can act for the bank. Alternatively you can get in touch with HSBC Bank who may be able to help.
When it comes to lenders such as Leeds Building Society, do Brentwood conveyancing practitioners incur a fee to be on the conveyancing panel?
We are unaware of any bank fees to register on their list of approved firms, although some do levy an administration charge to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel application.
I have decided to exercise my right to buy my property in Brentwood off the council. 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.
I've read lots of mortgage guides, I note that it is considered advisable to get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Brentwood solicitor - who is on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. is that correct?
Bank of Ireland will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Bank of Ireland will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. You may wish to consider appointing your own Brentwood surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller.
I am close to exchanging contracts on the sale of our house in Brentwood and according to the buyers it appears that there is a risk of it being constructed land that was not decontaminated. Any local lawyer would know this is not the case. It does beg the question why the purchasers instructed a nationwide conveyancing firm as opposed to a conveyancing solicitor in Brentwood. We have lived in Brentwood for 4 years we know that this is a non issue. Should we contact our local Authority to seek confirmation that there is no issue.
It would appear that you have a conveyancing firm currently acting for you. What do they say? You should enquire of your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out life insurance to cover that same sickness)
Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly picked up as part of conveyancing in Brentwood?
Covenants that are restrictive in nature can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the legal transfer of property in Brentwood. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’
I'm buying a new build house in Brentwood with the aid of help to buy. The builders refused to reduce the amount so I negotiated £7000 of extras instead. The sale representative told me not inform my lawyer about the extras as it would jeopardize my mortgage with the lender. Do I keep my lawyer in the dark?.
All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the builder of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.
Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.
Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.
I have been on the look out for a flat up to £195,000 and found one round the corner in Brentwood I like with open areas and station nearby, the downside is that it's only got 61 years on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Brentwood in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error buying a short lease?
If you require a mortgage the remaining unexpired lease term will likely be an issue. Discount the price by the anticipated lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing owner has owned the property for a minimum of twenty four months you can ask them to start the process of the extension 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 speak to your conveyancing solicitor about this matter.