Am I correct in assuming that the fact that my conveyancer in Brighton is not identified on my bank's conveyancing panel that there is a problem with the quality of her conveyancing?
That would most likely be a wrong assumption to make. There are all sorts of perfectly reasonable explanations. A recent report by the solicitors regulator revealed 76% of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The top 5 reasons are as follows: (1) lack of transactions (2) the lawyer is a sole practitioner (3) as part of the HSBC panel reduction (4) regulatory contact by SRA (5) accidental removal. Should you be concerned you should simply call the Brighton conveyancing firm and ask them why they are no longer on the approved list for your lender.
My partner and I intend to remortgage our penthouse in Brighton with Aldermore. We have a son approaching twenty who lives with us. Our solicitor has asked us to disclose any adults other than ourselves who lives in the flat. Our lawyer has now e-mailed a document for our son to sign, giving up any rights in the event that the apartment is forfeited by the lender. I have a couple of concerns (1) Is this document specific to the Aldermore conveyancing panel as he never had to sign this form when we remortgaged 4 years ago (2) In signing this form is our son in any way compromising his right to inherit the property?
First, rest assured that your Aldermore conveyancing panel solicitor is doing the right thing as it is established procedure for any occupier who is aged 17 or over to sign the necessary Consent Form, which is purely to state that any rights he has in the property are postponed and secondary to Aldermore. This is solely used to protect Aldermore if the property were re-possessed so that in such circumstances, your son would be legally obliged to leave. It does not impact your son’s right to inherit the apartment. Please note that if your son were to inherit and the mortgage in favour of Aldermore had not been discharged, he would be liable to take over the loan or pay it off, but other than that, there is nothing stopping him from keeping the property in accordance with your will or the rules of intestacy.
We wanted to use a property lawyer in Brighton for our house move. Our financial adviser informed us that our mortgage lenders Alliance & Leicester won't deal with them. Surely this is unduly restrictive?
Banks tend to imposes restrictions either the type or the amount of conveyancing solicitors on their panel. Typical examples of such restriction(s) being that a law practice must not be a sole practitioner. As well as restricting the profile of firm, a few banks have decided to limit the amount of solicitor practices they allow to act for them. You should note that Alliance & Leicester have no responsibility for the quality of advice provided by any member of Alliance & Leicester Conveyancer Panel. Mortgage fraud was a primary driver in the rationalisation of conveyancing panels since 2008 even though there are differing opinions concerning the extent of solicitor involvement in some of that fraud. Figures from the Land Registry indicate that plenty of law firms, including some in or near Brighton only conduct a couple conveyances a year.
My partner has suggested that I instruct his conveyancing solicitors in Brighton. Should I find my own property lawyer?
There are no two ways about it the best way to find a conveyancing solicitor is to get referrals from friends or family who have used the conveyancer that you are are thinking of instructing.
I have just appointed agents to market my basement apartment in Brighton. Conveyancing has not commenced, but I have recently had a yearly maintenance charge invoice – what should I do?
It best that you clear the invoice as usual given that all ground rent and maintenance charges will be allotted on completion, so you should recover the relevant percentage by the buyer for the period running from after the completion date to the subsequent invoice date. Most managing agents will not acknowledge the buyer until 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 purchased a 2 bed flat in Brighton, conveyancing was carried out half a dozen years ago. Can you let me have an estimate of the premium that my landlord can legally expect in return for granting a renewal of my lease? Similar properties in Brighton with over 90 years remaining are worth £201,000. The ground rent is £45 yearly. The lease finishes on 21st October 2090
With just 64 years left to run we estimate the premium for your lease extension to range between £14,300 and £16,400 as well as costs.
The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to supply the actual costs in the absence of detailed investigations. Do not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt other concerns that need to be considered and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not move forward based on this information before getting professional advice.
I see that you have a post code search directory identifying solicitors on the bank conveyancing panel. Do Brighton conveyancing firms pay you a commission if I instruct them for my own house purchase?
We are a listing service only for law firms wishing to communicate if they are on the mortgage company conveyancing panel or other lender panels. We do not charge referral fees to the any conveyancer that you subsequently appoint for your conveyancing in Brighton.