My brother and I have just purchased a property in Canterbury. We have noticed several problems with the house which we suspect were missed in the conveyancing searches. Is there anything we can do? What searches should? have been conducted for conveyancing in Canterbury?
It is not clear from the question as to the nature of the problems and if they are unique to conveyancing in Canterbury. Conveyancing searches and investigations undertaken as part of the buying process are supposed to help avoid problems. As part of the legal transfer of property, a property owner fills in a document called a Seller’s Property Information Form. If the information provided is incorrect, you may have a misrepresentation claim against the owner for any losses that you have suffered. The survey should have identified any problems with the structure of the property. Assuming a detailed survey was carried out and the issues were not identified, you may have a claim against the surveyor. However, if you did not have a full survey, you may be responsible for fixing any defects that have now been noted. We would always encourage buyers to take every possible step to ensure they are completely aware of the condition of a property before purchase regardless of whether they are buying in Canterbury.
Do all mortgage companies provide you with an approved list of Canterbury conveyancing solicitors? How do you know who is on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel?
Canterbury conveyancing firms themselves provide us confirmation that they are on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel as opposed to being supplied with a list from Virgin Money directly.
I just bought a house at auction in Canterbury. Conveyancing is required. What happens now?
Having legally committed yourself to purchase you will need to instruct a conveyancing lawyer quickly as you are facing a tight deadline in which to complete the property. An auction property should have a bespoke auction set of papers. This should include evidence of title and search results. Where you are dealing with leasehold property the legal papers may contain a copy of the lease, management information and a sellers leasehold information form and other conveyancing paperwork pertinent to leasehold premises. You should hand this to the lawyer instructed by you as soon as possible. You also need to ensure that you have funds in place to complete on the date specified in the contract.
We previously instructed solicitors locally in Canterbury on the RBS solicitor approved list. They have just invoiced me an additional sum for handling the RBS mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee specified by RBS?
Unfortunately, so long as it is in their Terms of Engagement or Quote then yes your lawyer may levy a fee for this. This fee is not dictated by RBS but by your Canterbury solicitor. Numerous firms on the RBS panel will charge ’dealing with mortgage’ fee and others do not.
I have instructed a Canterbury conveyancer having checked that they are on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?
Yorkshire BS will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Yorkshire BS 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 Canterbury 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 have todaydiscovered that Stirling Law have closed. They conducted my conveyancing in Canterbury for a purchase of a freehold house 12 months ago. How can I check that the property is registered correctly in the name of the former proprietor?
The quickest method to check if the premises is registered to you, you can carry out 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 Canterbury conveyancing specialists.
Are there any apps to assist me to locate a Canterbury solicitor on the TSB conveyancing panel? I have a car and am happy to travel upto 20miles to meet the lawyer.
You can use the search on this website. Please choose the bank and your location and you will see a number of Canterbury conveyancing lawyers locally. We have detailed some Canterbury conveyancing firms at the bottom of this page and you can call them to check if they are on the TSB member panel
My partner and I may need to rent out our Canterbury garden flat for a while due to a new job. We used a Canterbury conveyancing firm in 2004 but they have since shut and we did not think at the time get any guidance as to whether the lease permits subletting. How do we find out?
Notwithstanding that your previous Canterbury conveyancing solicitor is no longer available you can review your lease to check if it allows you to sublet the apartment. The rule is that if the lease is non-specific, subletting is allowed. Quite often there is a prerequisite that you are obliged to obtain permission from your landlord or some other party prior to subletting. This means that you cannot sublet in the absence of prior consent. The consent should not be unreasonably turned down. If the lease does not allow you to sublet you should ask your landlord if they are willing to waive this restriction.
I invested in buying a basement flat in Canterbury, conveyancing having been completed in 2012. How much will my lease extension cost? Similar flats in Canterbury with over 90 years remaining are worth £190,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £45 levied per year. The lease finishes on 21st October 2087
With just 62 years remaining on your lease we estimate the premium for your lease extension to span between £17,100 and £19,800 plus costs.
The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs in the absence of comprehensive investigations. You should not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt additional issues that need to be considered and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not take any other action placing reliance on this information without first getting professional advice.