My husband and I are hoping to purchase a property in Deptford and are in fact using a Deptford conveyancing practice. Within the last couple of days our lawyer has sent a preliminary report and documents to look through with the expectation that exchange is imminent. Aldermore have this afternoon contacted us to inform me that there is now an issue as our Deptford lawyer is not on their conveyancing panel. Please explain?
Where you are buying a property requiring a mortgage it is standard for the purchasers' solicitors to also act for the purchaser's lender. 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 lender 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 don't have to instruct a firm on the lender’s conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own Deptford solicitors, in which case your legal fees may increase, and it may delay matters as you have another set of people involved.
I require conveyancing for a flat in a fairly new development (6 years old) in Deptford. The vast majority the flats have already been disposed of. Is it strictly necessary to order neighbourhood searches as part of conveyancing in Deptford?
If you getting a mortgage, your bank will need some (many) of the searches so you'll have no choice. If not, then Deptford conveyancing searches are for you to decide upon. No doubt your conveyancer, will 'advise', perhaps in the strongest possible terms, that you should have the searches done, but he or she has a professional duty to do this. One thing to bear in mind; if you are likely to sell the house one day, it may be of interest to your future buyer what the searches contain. Sometimes houses with no practical issues can still throw up adverse search results. But if you choose to instruct your lawyer to proceed without searches then your lawyer will have to follow your instructions or it may be necessary to instruct a new lawyer for your conveyancing in Deptford.
My Conveyancer in Deptford is not listed on the Leeds Building Society Approved Panel. Can I still continue with my prefered solicitor notwithstanding that they are excluded from the Leeds Building Society approved list?
The limited options open to you here include:
- Carry on with your existing Deptford solicitors but Leeds Building Society will need to use a lawyer on their panel. This will inevitably rack up the total legal charges and cause frustration.
- Find an alternative lawyer to to deal with the purchase, remembering to check they are Leeds Building Society approved.
- Persuade your Leeds Building Society solicitor to try to join the Leeds Building Society panel
Forgive me if this question is silly but I am new to the house moving as a 1st time purchaser of a garden flat in Deptford. Do I pick up the keys to the house on completion from my lawyer? If so, I will use a High Street conveyancing solicitor in Deptford?
On the day of completion you do not need to attend the conveyancers office in Deptford. Your solicitors will electronically transfer the completion advance to the owner’s conveyancers, and once they have received this, you should be called to pick up the keys from the property Agents and move into your new home. This tends to happen between 1 and 3pm.
A relative advised me that in purchasing a property in Deptford there could be a number of restrictions limiting what one can do in terms of external alterations to a property. Is this right?
We are aware of anumerous of properties in Deptford which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to carry out external alterations. Part of the conveyancing in Deptford should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.
Is it the case that all Deptford solicitor practices on the Santander conveyancing panel are regulated by the SRA?
As a firm of solicitors, in order to be on the Santander conveyancing panel they would need to be governed by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority. Some mortgage companies do list licenced conveyancers on their panel in which case such organisation would be regulated by the CLC.
I am using a search engine for the term conveyancing in Deptford it reveals many property lawyerslocally. How do I determine which is the right conveyancer for the sale of my house?
The ideal way of finding a suitable conveyancer is through a trusted referral, so enquire of friends and those you trust who have bought a property in Deptford or the respected estate agent or financial adviser. Fees for conveyancing in Deptford vary, so it's advisable to secure at least three estimates from different law firms. Dont forget to clarify what costs in the quote includes.
Can you offer any advice when it comes to choosing a Deptford conveyancing practice to deal with our lease extension?
If you are instructing a solicitor for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Deptford conveyancing firm) it is imperative that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We advise that you speak with several firms including non Deptford conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. The following questions could be of use:
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How experienced is the firm with lease extension legislation? Can they put you in touch with clients in Deptford who can give a testimonial?
After years of dialogue we cannot agree with our landlord on how much the lease extension should cost for our flat in Deptford. Does the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal have jurisdiction to calculate the appropriate figures?
if there is a missing freeholder or where there is disagreement about what the lease extension should cost, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal to determine the price.
An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement matter before the tribunal for a Deptford premises is 41 Endwell Road in March 2013. this matter relateed to the acquisition of the freehold of a mid- terraced Victorian house converted into three separate self-contained dwellings. By an order dated 28/11/2012, Deputy District Judge Cole in the Bromley County Court held that the leaseholders were entitled to acquire the freehold and directed that the premium payable be determined by this Tribunal. The Tribunal assessed the premium to be £14,753 This case related to 3 flats. The number of years remaining on the existing lease(s) was 80.01 years.