Our Crowborough lawyer has discovered a discrepancy when comparing the surveyor’s assumptions in the valuation report and what is in the title deeds. My lawyer says that he is duty bound to check that the bank is OK with this discrepancy and is content to go ahead. Is my lawyer’s stance right?
Your conveyancer must comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook provisions which do require that your lawyer disclose any incorrect assumptions in the lender’s valuation report and the legal papers. Should you refuse to allow your lawyer to make the appropriate notification then your lawyer will have no choice but to discontinue acting for you.
Are the Crowborough conveyancing solicitors identified as being on the Nationwide conveyancing panel, together with their details provided by Nationwide?
Crowborough conveyancing firms themselves provide us confirmation that they are on the Nationwide conveyancing panel as opposed to being supplied with a list from Nationwide directly.
This question may be naive but I am unexperienced as a first time buyer of a two bedroom flat in Crowborough. Do I collect the keys to the house on completion from my solicitor? If this is the case, I will instruct a local conveyancing solicitor in Crowborough?
There is no need to visit the lawyers office on the day of completion. Your solicitors will arrange to send the purchase money to the vendor’s conveyancers, and shortly after the monies have arrived, you should be able to pick up the keys from the Estate Agents and move into your new home. Usually this occurs early afternoon.
I've digested plenty 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 Crowborough solicitor - who is on the TSB conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. is that correct?
TSB will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually TSB 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 solicitor 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 Crowborough postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with TSB, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Crowborough.
I have finally had an offer on an apartment in Crowborough agreed to, the owners do nevertheless have a connected purchase. The vendors have offered on a flat, however it’s not yet tied up, and have viewings of other flats booked. I have chosen a high street conveyancing solicitor in Crowborough. What should be my next step? At what stage should I apply for the mortgage with Skipton?
It is understandable to have concerns where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to incur expenses prematurely (mortgage application is in the region of one thousand pounds, then valuation, Crowborough conveyancing search charges, etc). First, you must check that your lawyer is on the Skipton approved list. Regarding the next steps this very much depends on the uniqueness of your transaction, motivation for this property and on the state of the market. During a buoyant market the majority of buyers will apply for the mortgage with Skipton and arrange for the valuation and only if it comes back ok would they pay their solicitor to press on with searches.
The estate agent has sent us the confirmation of our purchase of a new build apartment in Crowborough. Conveyancing is daunting at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. Can you give me some examples of some of the questions asked in new build conveyancing.
Set out below is a sample of a few leasehold new build questions that you may expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Crowborough
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Please confirm the Lease plans are surveyor prepared. The Lease must contain a provision on behalf of the Vendor to pay the service charges in respect of unoccupied units in order to ensure that all services can be provided. Please supply a car parking plan. Please supply evidence that the form of Lease proposed has been approved by the Land Registry. Where there is an Undertaking being granted there is the risk of forfeiture of the Headlease subject to relief if one or more of the Underlessees are willing to accept the original Head Lessee’s obligations as otherwise relief will be denied to the Underlessees. The only alternatives are the Head Lessor agreeing not to forfeit the Headlease or the Head Lessee guaranteeing to the Underlessees that it will not be in breach of the Headlease.
Should I go with a Crowborough conveyancing practitioner based in the location that I am purchasing? An old friend can carry out the legal work however they are based 300kilometers away.
The primary upside of using a local Crowborough conveyancing firm is that you can drop in to sign paperwork, hand in your identification documents and pester them where appropriate. Having local Crowborough know how is a plus. That being said nothing is more important than finding someone that will pull out all the stops for you. If other friends have instructed your friend and the majority were happy that should trump using an unknown Crowborough conveyancing lawyer just because they are Crowborough based.
I work for a reputable estate agent office in Crowborough where we have experienced a few flat sales jeopardised as a result of short leases. I have been given inconsistent advice from local Crowborough conveyancing solicitors. Can you confirm whether the owner of a flat can initiate the lease extension process for the purchaser on completion of the sale?
Provided that the seller has owned the lease for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. The benefit of this is that the proposed purchaser can avoid having to wait 2 years for a lease extension. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment needs to be completed before, or simultaneously with completion of the sale.
An alternative approach is to extend the lease informally by agreement with the landlord either before or after the sale. If you are informally negotiating there are no rules and so you cannot insist on the landlord agreeing to grant an extension or transferring the benefit of an agreement to the buyer.
I invested in buying a 2 bed flat in Crowborough, conveyancing formalities finalised in 2003. Can you let me have an estimate of the premium that my landlord can legally expect in return for granting a renewal of my lease? Comparable properties in Crowborough with an extended lease are worth £179,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £65 levied per year. The lease ends on 21st October 2078
With 57 years unexpired we estimate the premium for your lease extension to be between £26,600 and £30,800 as well as plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.
The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to provide the actual costs without more detailed investigations. Do not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be additional concerns that need to be taken into account and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action placing reliance on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.