Recently been in touch with my conveyancing lawyer in Erith who acted for me 18 months ago and wanted a conveyancing costs illustration based on an identical type of house move (a leasehold premises and a freehold property) of similar values with a loan from Coventry Building Society. I am now being quoted double. Better the devil I know or should I try and find an alternative conveyancer?
The estimate fees appear a bit high. Where you are willing to spend time comparing quotes you may be able to reduce the fees marginally by say £125. On the other hand, providing that you were happy with the assistance the firm offered you mightlive to regret choosing an a cheaper solicitor. Don't forget to enquire the firm can also act for Coventry Building Society. Do make use of our search tool to locate a Erith conveyancing firm on the Coventry Building Society approved list of lawyers, which can often include conveyancing solicitors in Erith.
My Solicitor in Erith has never been on on the Britannia Conveyancing Panel. Can I still continue with my family solicitor notwithstanding that they are excluded from the Britannia list of approved lawyers?
The limited options open to you here include:
- Complete the purchase with your preferred Erith solicitors but Britannia will need to use a lawyer on their panel. This will inevitably rack up the overall conveyancing charges and result in delays.
- Find an alternative lawyer to to deal with the purchase, not forgetting to check they are on the Britannia panel
If you had a top tip for choosing a conveyancing solicitor in Erith what would it be?
We would encourage you not to go for the cheapest Erith conveyancing fees. You really do get what you pay for when it comes to conveyancing solicitors. A cheap quote may mean that the conveyancing solicitor is handling a lot of jobs at one time and you won’t get the quality of service and the attention that you need. It is, however, wise to use a conveyancer who has a fixed fee on a no sale, no fee basis. This way, you go into the conveyancing with your eyes wide open.
Is it the case that all Erith solicitor practices on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel are regulated by the SRA?
As solicitors, in order to be on the Kent Reliance approved list of solicitors they would need to be governed by the SRA. Some banks do list licenced conveyancers on their panel in which case such firms would be governed by the CLC.
I am expecting a OIP from Yorkshire BS this week so we know how much we could potentially offer as otherwise we are dependent on web based calculators (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do Yorkshire BS recommend any Erith solicitors on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel, or is it better to go independently?
You will need to appoint Erith solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and Yorkshire BS through the process.
Various online forums that I have visited warn that are the main cause of obstruction in Erith house deals. Is this right?
The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) published conclusions of research by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not feature amongst the most frequent causes of delays in the conveyancing process. Searches are unlikely to feature in any holding up conveyancing in Erith.
In my capacity as executor for the will of my grandfather I am selling a residence in Neath but I am based in Erith. My conveyancer (approximately 250 miles awayhas requested that I execute a stat dec ahead of the transaction finalising. Could you suggest a conveyancing practitioner in Erith who can witness and place their company stamp on the document?
Technically speaking you are unlikely to be required to have the documents attested by a conveyancing solicitor. Normally any notary public or qualified solicitor will do regardless of whether they are Erith based
I've recently bought a leasehold house in Erith. Do I have any liability for service charges for periods before 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. However, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. A critical element 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 own a garden flat in Erith. In the absence of agreement between myself and the freeholder, can the Leasehold valuation Tribunal make a decision on the premium payable for a lease extension?
in cases where there is a absentee freeholder or if there is disagreement about the premium for a lease extension, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal to make a decision on the price payable.
An example of a Lease Extension decision for a Erith flat is Various @ Colombus Square in January 2012. the Tribunal calculated the premiums to be paid for new leases for each of the flats in Mariners Walk to be £3822 and the premium to be paid for the new lease of 2 Knights Court to be £4439. This case related to 13 flats. The unexpired term as at the valuation date was 76 years.