Am I correct in assuming that the fact that my solicitor in Consett is not on my bank's solicitor panel that there is a problem with the standard of the firm’s conveyancing?
It would be unwise to jump to that conclusion. There are plenty of plausible explanations. A recent report by the solicitors regulator revealed that over three quarters of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The top 5 reasons are as follows: (1) lack of transactions (2) the solicitor is a sole practitioner (3) as part of the HSBC panel reduction (4) regulatory contact by SRA (5) accidental removal. Should you be concerned you should simply call the Consett conveyancing practice and enquire why they are no longer on the approved list for your bank.
How can we tell if a Consett conveyancing solicitor on the Virgin Money panel is any good?
When it comes to conveyancing in Consett obtaining recommendations is a good starting point. Before you go ahead, check if they offer a no sale no fee offer. Also, you often get what you pay for - a firm which quotes more, will often provide a better service than one which is cheap as chips. We would always recommend that you speak with the lawyer handling your conveyancing.
I have paid off my mortgage with UBS. I assume I don't need a Consett solicitor on the UBS panel to remove the mortgage at the Land Registry. Am I right?
If you have finished paying off your UBS mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the UBS mortgage from the register. UBS, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:
- but are not moving to another property
- where UBS has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
- UBS has instructed the Land Registry to do so
I've read lots of house buying guides, I note that it is considered advisable to get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Consett solicitor - who is on the Lloyds conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. is that correct?
Lloyds will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Lloyds 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 lawyer 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 Consett postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Lloyds, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Consett.
Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly picked up during conveyancing in Consett?
Restrictive covenants can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the process of conveyancing in Consett. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’
Over the last few months I have been searching for a ground for flat up to £195,000 and identified one close by in Consett I like with a park and transport links in the vicinity, however it only has 51 years on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Consett in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake buying a lease with such few years left?
If you require a home loan the remaining unexpired lease term will likely be a potential deal breaker. Reduce the price by the expected lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing owner has owned the premises for at least twenty four months you could ask them to start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the existing lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing lawyer concerning this matter.
Back In 2002, I bought a leasehold flat in Consett. Conveyancing and Norwich and Peterborough Building Society mortgage organised. A letter has just been received from someone claiming to own the freehold. Attached was a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1994. The conveyancing practitioner in Consett who acted for me is not around. What should I do?
The first thing you should do is make enquiries of the Land Registry to make sure that the individual purporting to own the freehold is in fact the new freeholder. You do not need to incur the fees of a Consett conveyancing solicitor to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for £3. You should note that regardless, even if this is the legitimate landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.
Consett Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Examples of Queries Prior to buying
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This question is important as a) areas could result in problems for the building as the common areas may begin to deteriorate where repairs are not paid for b) if the leaseholders have a dispute with the running of the building you will want to have all the details What is the service charge and ground rent on the property? On the whole the outlay for major works tend not to be included within maintenance charges, although some managing agents in Consett obliged tenants to contribute towards a sinking fund and this is used to offset against major works.
Me and my husband have just had an offer agreed on a flat and had meeting on Monday with the Post Office for the mortgage. They warned us that when it comes to choosing a lawyer that if they are not on their approved list of lawyers then we will be subject to an a further charge of £200. This is is due to the fact that they will then have to select a conveyancer to act on their behalf as well as the one we select for ourselves and we will be on the hook for their costs. I have asked the Post Office to send me with a list so I can obtain quotes only from their approved conveyancers but was told that I need to check with each individual lawyer to see if they are on the panel. Is there a list online?
You should ask the Post Office what their criteria for panel membership is for a solicitor.Thereafter ask the conveyancer of your choice whether they fit that criteria and have they acted on loans for the Post Office before. If the answer to those is yes, then just double check with the Post Office. Another option is to use our search tool and we may be able to locate a solicitor in Consett on the panel for the Post Office.