Just contacted my conveyancing solicitor in Elland who completed the legal work two years ago asking for a conveyancing estimate based on an identical type of house move (a leasehold residence and a freehold property) of almost identical values with a mortgage from Chelsea Building Society. I am now being quoted twice the amount. Am I right to be tempted to shop around for an alternative firm of conveyancing solicitor?
The estimate fees appear a little high. If you are prepared to expend time contrasting quotes you might trim some of the expense by as much as a hundred pounds. On the other hand, if you were satisfied with the service the firm offered you couldlive to regret choosing an an unknown solicitor. If is important to enquire the firm can act for Chelsea Building Society. Do utilise our search tool to locate a Elland conveyancing firm on the Chelsea Building Society approved list of lawyers, which can often include conveyancing solicitors in Elland.
I am assisting my mother sell her property in Elland. Does the solicitor arrange an energy assessment or do I organise this?
Following the abolition of Home Information Packs, EPC’s was left as a compulsory element of selling a property. An energy performance certificate must be to hand before the property is marketed. It is not something that law firms ordinarily organise. If you are instructing a Elland conveyancing practitioner they might be able to arrange EPC’s given their relationships with long established Elland accredited person
I have today made my last payment due on my mortgage with RBS. I assume I don't need a Elland solicitor on the RBS panel to discharge the mortgage at the Land Registry. Please confirm.
If you have finished paying off your RBS mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the RBS mortgage from the register. RBS, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:
- but are not moving to another property
- where RBS has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
- RBS has instructed the Land Registry to do so
I've digested plenty of house buying guides, I note that it is considered advisable to get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Elland solicitor - who is on the Santander conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. Is that normal?
Santander will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Santander will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. Your property lawyer will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by your Elland postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Santander, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Elland.
Should our solicitor be raising questions regarding flooding as part of the conveyancing in Elland.
Flooding is a growing risk for lawyers dealing with homes in Elland. There are those who purchase a house in Elland, completely expectant that at some time, it may suffer from flooding. However, leaving to one side the physical destruction, if a property is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to obtain a mortgage, adequate building insurance, or sell the property. Steps can be carried out during the course of a property purchase to forewarn the buyer.
Conveyancers are not qualified to impart advice on flood risk, however there are a numerous checks that may be initiated by the buyer or on a buyer’s behalf which will give them a better understanding of the risks in Elland. The conventional set of information sent to a buyer’s lawyer (where the Conveyancing Protocol is adopted) contains a standard inquiry of the vendor to find out if the property has suffered from flooding. If the property has been flooded in past and is not revealed by the seller, then a buyer may commence a claim for damages stemming from an incorrect response. The buyer’s lawyers should also commission an environmental search. This should disclose whether there is a recorded flood risk. If so, further investigations should be initiated.
It has been three months following my purchase conveyancing in Elland took place. I have checked the Land Registry website which shows that I paid £150,000 when infact I paid £180,000. Why the discrepancy?
The price paid figure is taken from the application to register the purchase. It is the figure included in the Transfer (the legal deed which transfers the premises from one person to the other) and referred to as the 'consideration' or purchase price. You can report an error in the price paid figure using the LR online form. In most cases errors result from typos so at first glance the figure. Do report it so they can double check and advise.
About to purchase a new build apartment in Elland. 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 is a sample of a few leasehold new build questions that you should expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Elland
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Please supply a car parking plan. The Landlord must covenant to assume the management if the Management Company goes into liquidation or otherwise defaults in running the management scheme. Forfeiture - bankruptcy or liquidation must not apply under this provision. Will control of the Management Company (if any) be handed over to purchasers on completion of the last sale or earlier?
I work for a reputable estate agency in Elland where we see a number of leasehold sales put at risk due to short leases. I have been given conflicting advice from local Elland conveyancing solicitors. Could you shed some light as to whether the seller of a flat can start the lease extension formalities for the buyer?
Provided that the seller has owned the lease for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to commence the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. This means that the buyer can avoid having to sit tight for 2 years for a lease extension. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment needs to be completed before, or at the same time as completion of the sale.
Alternatively, it may be possible to extend the lease informally by agreement with the landlord either before or after the sale. If you are informally negotiating there are no rules and so you cannot insist on the landlord agreeing to grant an extension or transferring the benefit of an agreement to the buyer.
Elland Leasehold Conveyancing - Sample of Queries Prior to buying
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It is important to be aware whether window replacement or some other major work is pending to be shared amongst the leaseholders and could well dramatically impact the level of the service fees or result in a one time payment. The answer will be helpful as a) areas could result in problems in the block as the communal areas may begin to deteriorate where repairs remain unpaid b) if the leaseholders have a dispute with the managing agents you will want to have full disclosure You should want to find out as much as possible about the managing agents as they can either make life much simpler or uncomfortable. Being a leasehold owner you will be in the clutches of the managing agents from a financial perspective and when it comes to day to day issues like the cleanliness of the common parts. Ask prospective neighbours what they think of their management. On a final note, be sure you discover the dates that the service charges are due to the relevant party and precisely how they are spending the funds.