I'm in the process of transferring my existing standard mortgage to a BTL Yorkshire Building Society mortgage. The bank has said that I need a lawyer for this. I had a chat my previous Brighton conveyancing practitioner who who did the conveyancing when I first acquired the property. The costs estimate issued of £470 is an eye-watering amount to do this as I am not require purchase conveyancing - it’s simply a straightforward remortgage.
The costs illustration is fractionally on the steep side. Where you are prepared to invest time comparing quotes you might reduce the fees marginally by perhaps £100 plus VAT. That being said, providing that you were happy with the conveyancing the firm gave you mightlive to regret opting for an an unknown conveyancer. Don't forget to ensure the firm can also act for Yorkshire Building Society. You can make use of our search tool to get a quote a Brighton conveyancing firm on the Yorkshire Building Society member panel, which can often include conveyancing solicitors in Brighton.
Can the conveyancing solicitors that you recommend perform right to buy conveyancing in Brighton?
We work with numerous conveyancing experts who can service right to buy transactions You should e-mail us with a view to secure a costs illustration.
It is is a decade since I purchased my house in Brighton. Conveyancing lawyers have just been instructed on the sale but I am unable to track down the title deeds. Is this a major issue?
Don’t worry too much. First there is a possibility that the deeds will be with the mortgage company or they could be in the possession of the solicitor who handled your purchase. Secondly in all probability the land will be recorded at the land registry and you will be able to prove you are the registered owner by your conveyancing lawyers acquiring up to date copy of the land registers. Nearly all conveyancing in Brighton involves registered property but in the rare situation where your property is not registered it adds to the complexity but is resolvable.
The formalities of my purchase has taken place for my property in Brighton. Conveyancing was of an acceptable standard but I would like to complain about the lender. How does one go about formally complaining?
All lenders have complaints procedures. Your first port of call should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Services Department at head office. Ordinarily complaints to a lender are sorted out very quickly. However if you are not satisfied that the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service who will take matters further.
My offer was accepted on an apartment in Brighton on 19/4/2021, valuation was booked five days after, received a clean bill of health. Conveyancer appointed, so all that was missing was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to HSBC and chasing them on my offer, I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the HSBC conveyancing panel. Are HSBC entitled to hold back the Mortgage pending the lawyer being on the approved list?
Mortgage companies tend not to not issue a mortgage until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for HSBC to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the HSBC conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.
I have instructed a Brighton conveyancing practitioner having checked that they are on the Co-operative conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?
Co-operative will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Co-operative 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 Brighton 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.
Are there frequently found problems that you witness in leases for Brighton properties?
There is nothing unique about leasehold conveyancing in Brighton. Most leases are drafted differently and drafting errors can result in certain sections are not included. The following missing provisions could result in a defective lease:
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A provision to repair to or maintain parts of the premises Insurance obligations
A defective lease can cause issues when trying to sell a property as they can affect a potential buyer’s ability to obtain a mortgage. Lloyds TSB Bank, Chelsea Building Society, and Alliance & Leicester all have very detailed requirements when it comes to what is expected in a lease. If a mortgage lender believes that the lease is problematic they may refuse to grant the mortgage, obliging the buyer to pull out.
I acquired a 2 bed flat in Brighton, conveyancing having been completed November 2001. Can you give me give me an indication of the likely cost of a lease extension? Equivalent flats in Brighton with an extended lease are worth £185,000. The ground rent is £65 invoiced every year. The lease ends on 21st October 2082
You have 61 years unexpired we estimate the premium for your lease extension to be between £18,100 and £20,800 plus costs.
The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs in the absence of detailed due diligence. You should not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt additional issues that need to be considered and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not take any other action placing reliance on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.
We are about to buying a flat in Brighton. Conveyancing is not yet done but we would like keep the amount we are are buying for private from the likes of Zoopla. what can I do to ensure this is not revealed?
The Land Registry are legally required to disclose price paid data on the official title for residential properties nationwide which includes homes in Brighton. The register of ownership is a public document, so HM Land Registry would be breaking the law if they did not permit access to the register.
In essence you can make a request of HM Land Registry to withhold the price paid entry yet the response will be a No.