I am in need of a property lawyer. Do I opt for a national conveyancer as opposed to a family Downe conveyancing lawyer?
In the main conveyancing lawyers in your area will have excellent connections with your local authority, which could assist with the Downe conveyancing searches that your conveyancer will need to carry out. It also helps if they have strong rapport with the Local Land Registry Office your area Downe, other conveyancers in the location and Downe selling agents.
I am in a contract race with another prospective purchaser for a property in Downe. What can I do to speed up matters?
In the event that the seller is applying a tight deadline for your conveyancing it is highly recommended that your lawyer is familiar with the location as they will make use of local connections and insight. It is possible that they could have handled otherhomes in the same street. You would be best advised to use a Downe conveyancing firm. In addition, ensure that the conveyancing firm is on the on the approved list for your mortgage company. It is estimated that 18% of Downe conveyancing deals are delayed or jeopardised after finding out that a buyer’s conveyancer was not on their mortgage lender’s member panel. This can often result in the transaction being delayed by almost 21 days. It is claimed that this issue affects approximately one hundred thousand home moves every year. Almost all Downe conveyancing practices can not represent certain banks so do check as early as possible.
Is there a list of Aldermore panel solicitors in Downe on the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook Website?
Unfortunately not yet. There is no such directory service on the Council of Mortgage Lenders or Building Society Association websites. A small selection of lending institutions make their panel listings viewable online. Where you are in need of a Downe conveyancing practitioner on the Aldermore please use our tool.
We are getting a further advance on our home loan from HSBC as we wish to carry out a loft conversion to our house in Downe. Do we need to choose a local Downe solicitor on the HSBC conveyancing panel to handle the paperwork?
HSBC don't usually require firms on their conveyancing panel to handle such a matter. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the HSBC panel.
I am selling my flat. I had a double glazing fitted in July 2008, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My purchaser’s mortgage company, Coventry BS are being problematic. The Downe solicitor who is on the Coventry BS conveyancing panel is saying indemnity insurance will be fine but Coventry BS are insisting on a building regulation certificate. Why do Coventry BS have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?
It is probably the case that Coventry BS have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Coventry BS may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing was correctly and safely installed. The indemnity insurance merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.
Me and my brother own a terraced Edwardian property in Downe. Conveyancing solicitor acted for me and Bank of Ireland. I did a free Land Registry search last week and I saw a couple of entries: one for freehold, another for leasehold under the exact same property. I thought I was buying a freehold how can I check?
You need to assess the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register as there may be mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Downe and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they mortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with mortgage companies. You can also enquire as to the situation with your conveyancing lawyer who carried out the work.
I am purchasing a new build house in Downe with the aid of help to buy. The sellers would not reduce the amount so I negotiated £7000 of extras instead. The sale representative told me not reveal to my conveyancer about this extras as it would jeopardize my mortgage with the lender. Do I keep my lawyer in the dark?.
All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the developer of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.
Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.
Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.
Can you offer any advice when it comes to appointing a Downe conveyancing practice to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?
If you are instructing a solicitor for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Downe conveyancing firm) it is essential that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We suggest that you make enquires with several firms including non Downe conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. Where the conveyancing practice is ALEP accredited then so much the better. The following questions could be useful:
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How experienced is the practice with lease extension legislation? What are the legal fees for lease extension work?
I am the leaseholder of a basement flat in Downe. In the absence of agreement between myself and the landlord, can the Leasehold valuation Tribunal determine the sum payable for the purchase of the freehold?
if there is a missing landlord or where there is dispute about what the lease extension should cost, under the relevant statutes it is possible to make an application to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal to arrive at the premium.
An example of a Lease Extension case for a Downe residence is 1 Southlands Court Southlands Road in September 2013. The Leasehold Valuation Tribunal determined that the premium to be paid by the tenant on the grant of a new lease, in accordance with section 56 and Schedule 13 of the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 was £30,541 This case was in relation to 1 flat. The unexpired term was 50.57 years.