It is a dozen years since I acquired my home in Downend. Conveyancing solicitors have just been retained on the sale but I am unable to find the title deeds. Will this jeopardise the sale?
Don’t worry too much. Firstly the deeds may be retained by the lender or they could be in the possession of the conveyancers who oversaw your purchase. Secondly in most cases the property will be registered at the land registry and you will be able to prove you own the property by your conveyancing solicitors obtaining up to date copy of the land registers. The vast majority of conveyancing in Downend relates to registered property but in the unlikely event that your property is unregistered it adds to the complexity but is resolvable.
My aunt passed away last year and as sole heir and executor I was left the property in Downend. The house had a small mortgage remaining of approximately £5k. I want to have the title changed into my name whilst I re-mortgage to Co-operative, pay off the mortgage. Is this possible?
Where you plan to re-mortgage then Co-operative will require that you use a conveyancer on the Co-operative conveyancing panel. Here is link to the Land Registry online guidance around what to do when a property owner dies. This will help you to understand the registration process behind changing the details re the registered title. in your case it would appear that you are effectively purchasing the property from the estate. Your Co-operative conveyancing panel solicitor pays the new mortgage money into the estate, the estate pays off the old mortgage, the charge is released and you become the owner and the Co-operative mortgage is registered as a charge at the Land Registry.
Forgive me if this question is silly but I am new to the process as FTB of a ground floor flat in Downend. Do I collect the keys to the property on completion from my lawyer? If so, I will appoint a High Street conveyancing solicitor in Downend?
On the day of completion you will not be required to attend the conveyancers office in Downend. Your solicitors will arrange to send the purchase money to the seller's conveyancers, and shortly after the monies have arrived, you will be called to receive the keys from the selling Agents and move into your new home. Usually this happens early afternoon.
The formalities of my remortgage has taken place for my property in Downend. Conveyancing was satisfactory but I would like to complain about the lender. Who do I contact should I wish to lodge a complaint?
All lenders have complaints procedures. Your first port of call should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Services Team at head office. In most cases complaints to a lender are sorted out effectively and efficiently. If you feel the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service with full details of your complaint.
I recently had an offer agreed on an apartment in Downend. My mortgage broker suggested a property lawyer. I paid an advanced payment of £225. Not long after, the lawyer contacted me to say that they were not on the RBS conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?
You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the RBS panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.
My partner and I are planning on selling our house in Downend and the buyers lawyers are claiming that there is a possibility that the property was built on contaminated land. Any high street Downend lawyer would know this is not the case. It does beg the question why the purchasers used a national conveyancing outfit rather than a conveyancing solicitor in Downend. Having lived in Downend for six years we know of no issue. Is it a good idea to get in touch with our local Authority to seek confirmation that the buyers are looking for.
It would appear that you have a conveyancing solicitor currently acting for you. Are they able to advise? You must enquire of your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out health insurance to cover that same ailment)
I am buying a new build apartment in Downend. 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 legal work.
Set out below are examples of a few leasehold new build questions that you should expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Downend
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Investor purchasers must be able to freely grant unsecured tenancies at market rents without requiring any consents. Please confirm the Lease plans are surveyor prepared. Forfeiture - bankruptcy or liquidation must not apply under this provision. Has the Lease plan been approved by the Land Registry and if not when will they be lodged for this purpose? There must be mutual enforceability of lessee’s covenants.
What does commercial conveyancing in Downend cover?
Downend conveyancing for business premises covers a broad array of services, offered by qualified solicitors, relating to business property. For instance, this type of conveyancing can cover the sale or purchase of freehold business premises or, more commonly, the transfer of existing leases or the drafting of new leasing arrangements. Commercial conveyancing solicitors can also offer advice on the sale of business assets, commercial mortgages and the termination of tenancies.