Me and my partner are buying a flat in Elmers End. My Conveyancer is not on the bank solicitor panel. Can I still continue with my Elmers End conveyancing solicitor notwithstanding that they are excluded from the lender panel of approved conveyancing solicitors?
Your options include
- Carry on with your existing Elmers End property lawyer but your mortgage company will need to instruct a conveyancing practitioner from their approved list. The net result is additional charges together with likely interruption.
- Appoint a new conveyancing practitioner to act in the purchase, ensuring that they are on the lender conveyancing panel.
- Convince your conveyancing practitioner to attempt to join the mortgage company panel
I have given 8 weeks notice to my current landlord and must be out of my rented property in Elmers End by 4/9/2026. Conveyancing for my house purchase is underway. Can I complete in six weeks as don't want to have to find short term accommodation?
The normal practice is not to provide notice for your tenancy unless you have exchanged. If you have not already done so, update to your solicitor and ask them to they seek the assistance the other solicitors, try to an agreed time frame that all parties will aim to achieve
I'm the single recipient of my late father’s will with all property in now in my sole name, including the house in Elmers End. The Elmers End property was put into my name in June. I now wish to sell up. I do know about the CML 6 month 'rule', which means that my proprietorship could be considered the same way as if I'd bought the property in June. Will no one buy the property for half a year?
The CML handbook mandates conveyancers to: "report to us immediately if the owner or registered proprietor has been registered for less than six months." By the strict wording you may be affected by that. How sensible a view banks take of it, depend on the mortgage company as this requirement is chiefly there to identify the purchase and immediately sell or the quick reselling of property.
Is it correct that all Elmers End CQS (Conveyancing Quality Scheme) solicitors are on the Principality conveyancing panel?
A selection of banks and building societies now utilise the accreditation scheme as the kick off point for Panel membership such as HSBC and Santander. CQS accreditation however gives no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. That being said,the CML have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for solicitor practices wishing to remain on their panels.
We were going to get a AIP from Co-operative this week so we can work out what to offer on a property we like as otherwise we only have online calculators to go by (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do Co-operative recommend any Elmers End solicitors on the Co-operative conveyancing panel, or is it better to find our own lawyer?
You will need to appoint Elmers End solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the Co-operative conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and Co-operative through the process.
My relative recommended that if I am buying in Elmers End I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?
This is a search is sometimes quoted for as part of the standard Elmers End conveyancing searches. It is not a small document of about 40 pages, listing and detailing significant information about Elmers End around the property and the people living there. It includes an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the local Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the demographics of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average House Prices, Crime statistics, Local Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful information about Elmers End.
Me and my brother have a renovated Edwardian property in Elmers End. Conveyancing practitioner acted for me and Barclays Direct. I did a free Land Registry search last week and I saw a couple of entries: one for freehold, another for leasehold with the matching address. I'd like to know for sure, how can I find out??
You need to review the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for 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 Elmers End 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 purchasers. You can also check the position with your conveyancing solicitor who conducted the conveyancing.
Over the last few months I have been searching for a flat up to £245,000 and identified one round the corner in Elmers End I like with open areas and station nearby, the downside is that it only has 52 remaining years left on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Elmers End for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake buying a lease with such few years left?
Should you require a home loan the remaining unexpired lease term may be a potential deal breaker. Reduce the price by the anticipated lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing proprietor has owned the premises for a minimum of twenty four months you may request that they start the process of the extension and pass it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the existing lease term and have £0 ground rent by law. You should consult your conveyancing lawyer about this matter.