My partner and I are hoping to acquire a flat in Dartmouth Park and are in fact using a Dartmouth Park conveyancing firm. Within the past 48 hours our lawyer has forwarded the sale agreement to be signed with a detailed report with a view to exchanging next week. Halifax have this morning contacted us to advise us that there is now an issue as our Dartmouth Park conveyancer is not on their conveyancing panel. Please explain?
Where you are buying a property requiring a mortgage it is usual for the purchasers' lawyers to also act for the mortgage company. In order to act for a bank or building society a law firm has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the law firm to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the firm has to satisfy and indeed some lenders now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Accreditation Scheme. Your solicitor should contact your mortgage company and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own solicitors to act. You are not legally obliged to appoint a law firm on the bank's conveyancing panel as you are at liberty to use your preferred Dartmouth Park lawyers, in which case it will likely add costs, and it will likely delay the transaction as you are adding another lawyer into the mix.
The Dartmouth Park conveyancing solicitors that I appointed last week on my purchase in Dartmouth Park have suddenly shut down. They were on acting for me because I needed a solicitor on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel and my preferred Dartmouth Park lawyer was not. I wrote them a cheque for two hundred pounds in advance. What do I do now?
Assuming that you have an Estate Agent in the equation then let them know immediately so that they can let the sellers know that there may be a slight delay due to the problems encountered. Most sellers would be sympathetic and urge their lawyer to send a new set of papers to your new solicitors. You should appoint new lawyers that are on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel and notify the lender. If you have paid over any money, it will hopefully be held by the SRA as money in an intervened firm's bank accounts is transferred to the SRA. Then, the SRA or the intervention agent looks at the intervened firm's accounts to work out who the money belongs to. To claim your money you will need to contact the SRA. If the SRA cannot return money you are owed from the firm's bank accounts, or if they can only return part of the money, you can apply to the Compensation Fund for a grant. Your new lawyers should be in a position to help.
When it comes to lenders such as Nationwide, do Dartmouth Park solicitors incur an annual charge to be on the conveyancing panel?
We are unaware of any mortgage company fees to register on their panel, although some do levy an administration charge to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel submission.
I have decided to exercise my right to buy my property in Dartmouth Park off the council. I have a mortgage agreed with Lloyds. Conveyancing is not something I have any knowledge of. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should use 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 Lloyds, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Lloyds conveyancing panel.
The formalities of my purchase has taken place for my property in Dartmouth Park. Conveyancing was of an acceptable standard but I feel I should register my dissatisfaction about the lender. How does one go about formally complaining?
Almost all banks and building societies have complaints procedures. Your first port of call should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Care Department at head office. In most cases complaints to a lender are resolved effectively and efficiently. If you feel the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service, South Quay Plaza, 183 Marsh Wall, London E14 9SR who will take matters further.
Over the last few months I have been searching for a ground for flat up to £235,500 and identified one close by in Dartmouth Park I like with amenity areas and railway links in the vicinity, the downside is that it only has 51 years unexpired on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Dartmouth Park suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error purchasing a short lease?
If you need a mortgage that many years will be an issue. Reduce the price by the anticipated lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the existing proprietor has owned the property for at least 2 years you may ask them to start the process of the extension and pass it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the existing lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should consult your conveyancing lawyer about this matter.
How difficult is it to transfer to a new solicitor as I need to find one who is on the Barnsley Building Society conveyancing list. I had appointed a local conveyancing solicitor in Dartmouth Park five minutes from me but the firm is not accepted by Barnsley Building Society
It would be our pleasure to help you select a conveyancing solicitor in Dartmouth Park on the Barnsley Building Society panel. Please note that the conveyancers that we on the directory do not pay us a referral fee if you instruct them and are regulated by the SRA who regulate all conveyancing solicitors in Dartmouth Park. In making use of the find a conveyancing solicitor tool on this page, you can compare and instruct different solicitors and conveyancers both nationally and in Dartmouth Park.
Back In 2000, I bought a leasehold flat in Dartmouth Park. Conveyancing and Bank of Scotland mortgage organised. I have received a letter from someone claiming to own the reversionary interest in the property. Attached was a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1992. The conveyancing solicitor in Dartmouth Park who previously acted has long since retired. What should I do?
First contact the Land Registry to be sure that this person is indeed the new freeholder. You do not need to instruct a Dartmouth Park conveyancing lawyer to do this as it can be done on-line for a few pound. Rest assured that in any event, even if this is the legitimate freeholder, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.
I have attempted and failed to negotiate with my landlord to extend my lease without any joy. Can one apply to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal? Can you recommend a Dartmouth Park conveyancing firm to act on my behalf?
in cases where there is a absentee freeholder or if there is disagreement about the premium for a lease extension, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 it is possible to make an application to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal to make a decision on the premium.
An example of a Lease Extension matter before the tribunal for a Dartmouth Park flat is Flat 2 27 Mackeson Road in December 2012. The Tribunal assessed the value of the lease extension premium at £35,435 and rounded the figure to £35,500 This case affected 1 flat. The unexpired term as at the valuation date was 64.77 years.