My previous conveyancer has sent a quote for £1150 for fixed fee conveyancing in Cippenham. I am hoping to sell a modern detached home for £150,000. This appears over the top. Is it above the norm for conveyancing in Cippenham?
The quote is slightly on the high side. Where you are prepared to spend time contrasting prices you could get the conveyancing a bit cheaper by as much as £125. That being said, you couldcome to rue opting for an an unknown lawyer. If is important to check that the firm can act for your mortgage company. Do use our comparison tool to select a Cippenham conveyancing company on the banks approved list of lawyers which can often include conveyancing solicitors in Cippenham.
Is it the case that all Cippenham solicitor practices on the Nottingham conveyancing panel are overseen by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority?
As solicitors, in order to be on the Nottingham conveyancing panel they would need to be regulated by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority. Some lenders do permit licenced conveyancers on their panel in which case such organisation would be governed by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.
It is unclear whether my bank requires a lease extension. I have telephoned my Cippenham bank branch on a couple of occasions and was told they are content with the situation and they will lend. My Cippenham conveyancing solicitor - who is on the mortgage company conveyancing panel- telephoned and was told they would not lend based on their UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook minimum lease term requirements. Who do I believe?
Your conveyancer has to follow the CML Handbook section two specifications for your lender. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that the bank will go ahead, your lawyer has no choice but to refrain from exchanging contract and committing you to the purchase. We would suggest that you ask the mortgage company to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the number of years left on the lease.
Clydesdale have agreed my home loan in principle, my bid on a house in Cippenham has been agreed to, now what?
Your estate agent will want to know who your solicitors are (make sure the lawyers are on the bank’s approved list). Contact Clydesdale or your broker and complete any appropriate forms. Clydesdale will appoint a valuer who will get in touch with the estate agent or owners to book an appointment. Once carried out (assuming no problems) it takes on average a week for the mortgage offer to be issued. Clydesdale will issue the offer to you and your conveyancers. The legal work will then take it’s course according the nature and complexity of the conveyancing in Cippenham.
I have a renovated Victorian house in Cippenham. Conveyancing solicitor represented me and Barnsley Building Society. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and I saw two entries: the first freehold, another for leasehold under the matching address. I'd like to know for sure, how can I find out??
You need to read the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Cippenham and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they remortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with buyers. You can also check the position with your conveyancing practitioner who carried out the work.
I was advised by numerous property agents in Cippenham to locate a property lawyer on your site. Is there a financial advantage for Estate Agents to recommend your services rather than alternative conveyancing organisations?
We don’t give any referral fee for sending work our way. We thought it would be too underhand to pay a commission because a client could think, ‘Why is the agent getting a kickback? Why am I not getting any benefit too?’ So we decided to step away from that.
Is it best to go with a Cippenham conveyancing solicitor based in the vicinity that I am buying? I have an old university friend who can handle the conveyancing but her office is 200kilometers drive away.
The primary upside of using a local Cippenham conveyancing practice is that you can attend the office to execute paperwork, present your identification documents and pester them where appropriate. Having local Cippenham know how is a benefit. However it's more important to get someone that will pull out all the stops for you. If if people you trust used your friend and they were content that must trump using an unknown Cippenham conveyancing solicitor just because they are based in the area.
Sixweeks into buying a residence in Cippenham. Conveyancing solicitor has phoned to say the property is "Leasehold". Will this likely impact the marketability of the house?
Cippenham conveyancing does not normally involve leasehold houses. The key factor here is the unexpired lease term and the ground rent. If there are over a hundred years remaining with a peppercorn rent, it's almost the same as freehold, so it shouldn't impact the value significantly.
At the other end of the spectrum, if it's, say, 50 years it will have a significant effect on the saleability, and probably wouldn't be acceptable to the mortgage company. The remaining lease term and ground rent will be set out in the lease provided to your property lawyer.