How up to date is your database of Earls Court solicitors on the HSBC conveyancing panel? Do HSBC send you an updated list?
Earls Court conveyancing firms themselves provide us confirmation that they are on the HSBC conveyancing panel as opposed to being supplied with a list from HSBC directly.
The Earls Court conveyancing lawyers that just started acting on my house acquisition in Earls Court have without warning closed. They were on acting for me because I needed a firm on the Lloyds conveyancing panel and my previous Earls Court lawyer was not. I paid them £170 in advance. What do I do now?
If you have an estate agent involved then inform them straight away so that they advise the vendors that there may be a slight delay due to reasons beyond your control. Hopefully they will be sympathetic and urge their lawyer to send a new set of papers to your new solicitors. You will need to appoint new lawyers that are on the Lloyds 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 solicitors may be able to help.
Should my conveyancer be raising questions concerning flooding during the conveyancing in Earls Court.
Flooding is a growing risk for lawyers dealing with homes in Earls Court. There are those who buy a property in Earls Court, fully aware that at some time, it may suffer from flooding. However, aside from the physical damage, where a property is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to get a mortgage, suitable building insurance, or sell the property. Steps can be carried out during the course of a property purchase to forewarn the buyer.
Solicitors are not qualified to impart advice on flood risk, however there are a numerous searches that may be initiated by the purchaser or on a buyer’s behalf which will figure out the risks in Earls Court. The standard information sent to a buyer’s conveyancer (where the solicitors are adopting what is known as the Conveyancing Protocol) incorporates a standard inquiry of the vendor to discover if the property has suffered from flooding. In the event that the premises has been flooded in past which is not notified by the vendor, then a purchaser could commence a claim for damages stemming from an inaccurate response. A purchaser’s conveyancers should also carry out an environmental report. This should disclose if there is a recorded flood risk. If so, additional inquiries should be conducted.
I have recentlyfound out that Wolstenholmes have been shut down. They carried out my conveyancing in Earls Court for a purchase of a leasehold flat 10 months ago. How can I check that the property is not still registered in the name of the previous owner?
The easiest method to see if the property is in your name, you can carry out a search of the land registry (£3.00). You can either do this yourself or ask a law firm to do this for you. If you are not registered you can seek help from one of a number of Earls Court conveyancing specialists.
My cousin has encouraged me to instruct his conveyancers in Earls Court. Should I choose my own solicitor?
No doubt it’s preferable to select a conveyancing lawyer is to seek feedback from friends or family who have actually experience in using the conveyancer you're considering.
Last June I purchased a leasehold house in Earls Court. Am I liable to pay service charges relating to a period prior to my ownership?
In a situation where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous owner and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. Strange as it may seem, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. It is an essential part of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to ensure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.
If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).
I have had difficulty in seeking a lease extension in Earls Court. Can this matter be resolved via the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal?
You certainly can. We are happy to put you in touch with a Earls Court conveyancing firm who can help.
An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement case for a Earls Court flat is 5 Wetherby Gardens in June 2014. the Tribunal concluded that the price to be paid for the freehold of the property was £2,369,452. This case was in relation to 5 flats. The number of years remaining on the existing lease(s) was 38.98 years.
