My partner and I swapping mortgage lender for our flat in Colindale with Barclays. We have a son 18 who lives at home. Our solicitor requested us to identify anyone over the age of 17 other than ourselves who reside at the property. The solicitor has now sent a form for our son to sign, giving up any rights in the event that the apartment is repossessed. I have a couple of concerns (1) Is this form unique to the Barclays conveyancing panel as he never had to sign this form when we remortgaged 5 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 Barclays 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 Barclays. This is solely used to protect Barclays 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 Barclays 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.
It is is a decade since I purchased my home in Colindale. Conveyancing lawyers have now been appointed on the sale but I can't track down the title deeds. Is this a problem?
You need not be too concerned. Firstly there is a possibility that the deeds will be retained by the lender or they could stored with the lawyers who acted in your purchase. Secondly the chances are that the property will be recorded at the land registry and you will be able to prove you are the registered owner by your conveyancing solicitors acquiring current official copies of the land registers. Nearly all conveyancing in Colindale involves registered property but in the unlikely event that your property is not registered it is more of a problem but is not insurmountable.
I have 7378 less than 75 years remaining on my lease and need a lease extension for my apartment in Colindale. Conveyancing solicitors on the Bank of Ireland panel can deal with such extensions right?
Most leasehold conveyancing experts should be able to deal with a lease extension. if you are getting a mortgage then your lender may insist that the lease be extended before competition. Bank of Ireland have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook in relation to minimum unexpired lease terms. As of 13/6/2022 the requirements read as follows :
I had a mortgage agreed in principle with Nottingham. Colindale conveyancing solicitors were appointed. How long does it take for Nottingham to issue the offer to the lawyer?
Some lenders take longer than others. Have Nottingham done the valuation? Have you informed Nottingham as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the Nottingham conveyancing panel? Sometimes it can take as long as six weeks for a mortgage offer to be issued.
I am currently in the process of buying my council flat in Colindale. I have a mortgage offer with Co-operative. Conveyancing is new to me. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should have one. Any advice?
It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with Co-operative, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Co-operative conveyancing panel.
Having digested plenty of mortgage guides, I note that they all recommend that you should get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Colindale solicitor - who is on the RBS conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. is that correct?
RBS will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually RBS 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. Your conveyancer will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by your Colindale postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with RBS, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Colindale.
Are there any apps to help identify a Colindale law firm on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel? I drive a motor bike and am prepared to travel upto 25kilometers to meet the lawyer.
You can use the search on this website. Please pick a bank and your location and you will see a number of Colindale conveyancing lawyers located nearest you. We have detailed some Colindale conveyancing firms towards the end of this page and you can ring them to check whether they are on the Leeds Building Society member panel
I am looking at a two maisonettes in Colindale both have approximately fifty years left on the leases. Will this present a problem?
A lease is a legal document that entitles you to use the property for a period of time. As the lease gets shorter the value of the lease deteriorates and results in it becoming more costly to acquire a lease extension. This is why it is advisable to increase the term of the lease. More often than not it is difficulties arise selling premises with a short lease because mortgage lenders may be reluctant to lend money on properties of this type. Lease enfranchisement can be a protracted process. We advise that you seek professional assistance from a conveyancer and surveyor with experience in this area.
Following months of dialogue we simply can't agree with our landlord on how much the lease extension should cost for our flat in Colindale. Can we issue an application to the Residential Property Tribunal Service?
Most definitely. We are happy to put you in touch with a Colindale conveyancing firm who can help.
An example of a Lease Extension decision for a Colindale premises is 27B Hillside in February 2010. the resulting premium, all other aspects of the valuation having been agreed between the parties was set at £8,250 This case affected 1 flat. The unexpired term as at the valuation date was 70.25 years.