I am buying a house mortgage free in Catford. I have resided for the last dozen years in Catford. Conveyancing searches are a lot of money. As I know the area and road very well should I not bother getting the solicitor to do all the conveyancing searches?
If you not getting a mortgage, then the vast majority of the Catford conveyancing searches are at your discretion. Your lawyer will try and sway you, perhaps strongly, that you should have searches carried out, but he has a professional duty to do this. One thing to bear in mind; if you are going to dispose of the house one day, it will likely be be of importance to your future purchaser what the searches disclose. On occasion premises with functional issues can still reveal detrimental search results. A competent conveyancing solicitor in Catford will be able to give you some practical guidance in this regard.
I am the registered owner of a freehold premises in Catford yet pay rent, why is this and what is this?
It’s unusual for properties in Catford and has limited impact for conveyancing in Catford but some freehold properties in England (particularly common in North West England) pay an annual sum known as a Chief Rent or a Rentcharge to a third party who has no other legal interest in the land.
Rentcharge payments are usually between £2.00 and £5.00 per year. Rentcharges have existed for many centuries, but the Rent Charge Act 1977 barred the generation of new rentcharges from 1977 onwards.
Previous rentcharges can now be redeemed by making a lump sum payment under the Act. Any rentcharges that are still in existence in 2037 is to be dispensed with completely.
I have been told that property searches are the main reason for delay in Catford house deals. Is there any truth in this?
The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) has noted the conclusions of research by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not figure within the top 10 causes of delays during the legal transfer of property. Searches are unlikely to be the root cause of slowing down conveyancing in Catford.
I am using a search engine for the term cheap conveyancing in Catford it shows results of many solicitorslocally. How do I determine which is the suitable conveyancing solicitor for me?
The ideal way of choosing the right conveyancer is through a personal referral, so seek the counsel of colleagues and family who have purchased a property in Catford or a respected estate agent or mortgage broker. Charges for conveyancing in Catford vary, so it's advisable to obtain a minimum of four fee calculations from varying types of conveyancers. Dont forget to clarify that the charges are assured not to escalate.
Do you have any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Catford from the perspective of expediting the sale process?
- Much of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Catford can be avoided where you instruct lawyers as soon as you market your property and ask them to put together the leasehold information which will be required by the purchasers’ representatives. If you have carried out any alterations to the premises would they have required Landlord’s consent? Have you, for example laid down wooden flooring? Most leases in Catford state that internal structural changes or laying down wooden flooring require a licence from the Landlord approving such alterations. Where you fail to have the consents to hand you should not communicate with the landlord without checking with your solicitor before hand. Some Catford leases require Licence to Assign from the landlord. If this applies to your lease, it would be prudent to notify your estate agents to make sure that the purchasers put in hand bank and professional references. Any bank reference should make it clear that the buyer is able to meet the annual service charge and the actual amount of the service charge should be quoted in the bank’s letter. You will therefore need to provide your estate agents with the actual amount of the service charge so that they can pass this information on to the buyers or their solicitors. If you have had any disputes with your landlord or managing agents it is very important that these are settled before the property is marketed. The purchasers and their solicitors will be reluctant to purchase a property where a dispute is unsettled. You may have to bite the bullet and pay any arrears of service charge or resolve the dispute prior to the buyers completing the purchase. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled prior to the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You will still have to reveal particulars of the dispute to the buyers, but it is clearly preferable to present the dispute as historic rather than unsettled. If you are supposed to have a share in the Management Company, you should make sure that you have the original share document. Obtaining a duplicate share certificate can be a time consuming process and delays many a Catford conveyancing transaction. Where a duplicate share certificate is required, you should approach the company officers or managing agents (where relevant) for this as soon as possible.
Having spent years of negotiations we cannot agree with our landlord on how much the lease extension should cost for our flat in Catford. Does the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal have jurisdiction to calculate the appropriate figures?
Most definitely. We are happy to put you in touch with a Catford conveyancing firm who can help.
An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement case for a Catford flat is 44 Elmer Road in January 2013. The Tribunal dacied that amount to be paid by the Leaseholders for the Landlords freehold reversion was £12,951 as at the valuation date (20" September 2012).This matter was referred back to the Bromley County Court to deal with costs, fees and any other outstanding matters. This case related to 2 flats. The number of years remaining on the existing lease(s) was 74.25 years.
I have checked your search tool I can't find the lawyer I was hoping to instruct as being on the lender conveyancing panel. My lawyer has said that they are on the bank approved panel. How can I be sure given that they are not listed on your directory?
Not all firms are yet listed on our lender panel search tool which is still relatively new. Law firms are listing on a daily basis and it is probably the case that your lawyer is on the mortgage company conveyancing lawyer and you should probably take them at their word. Please do feel free to suggest that they completing their listing on our site as it would only cost them £1 a month to list themselves as being on the mortgage company solicitor panel.