My lawyer in Greenwich has never been on on the Skipton Building Society Solicitor Panel. Is it possible for me to use my prefered solicitor even though they are excluded from the Skipton Building Society approved list?
Your options are as follows:
- Complete the purchase with your preferred Greenwich lawyers but Skipton Building Society will need to retain a solicitor on their list of acceptable firms. This will inevitably rack up the overall conveyancing fees and cause frustration.
- Find a new solicitor to to deal with the purchase, obviously checking they are Skipton Building Society approved.
- Try to convince your Skipton Building Society solicitor to attempt to join the Skipton Building Society panel
I used Wolstenholmes several years ago for my conveyancing in Greenwich. I now require my papers but cannot find the solicitor. What do I do?
Do contact the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to help locate your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Greenwich of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously instructed, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.
How does conveyancing in Greenwich differ for new build properties?
Most buyers of new build or newly converted property in Greenwich approach us having been asked by the builder to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the residence is ready to move into. This is because house builders in Greenwich typically buy the site, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct conveyancing solicitors as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are accustomed to new build conveyancing in Greenwich or who has acted in the same development.
I was advised by three or four local estate agents in Greenwich to choose a conveyancer using your seach tool. Is there a financial advantage for Estate Agents to promote your lawyers rather than a competitor’s?
We don’t give any referral fee for pointing buyers and sellers our way. We thought it would be too underhand a fee because a client could think, ‘How come the agent getting a kickback? Why am I not getting any benefit too?’ We would prefer to grow our business on genuine recommendations.
I need to retain a conveyancing solicitor for my conveyancing in Greenwich. I have chance upon a site which seems to have the ideal answer If there is a chance to get all this stuff completed via email that would be preferable. Do I need to be wary? What should out be looking out for?
As usual with these online conveyancers you need to read ALL the small print - did you notice the extra charge for dealing with the mortgage?
Last August I purchased a leasehold property in Greenwich. Do I have any liability for service charges for periods before my ownership?
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. 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 have had difficulty in trying to reach an agreement for a lease extension in Greenwich. Can this matter be resolved via the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal?
Where there is a absentee freeholder or if there is disagreement about the premium for a lease extension, under the relevant legislation it is possible to make an application to the LVT to make a decision on the price payable.
An example of a Lease Extension decision for a Greenwich flat is 73 Walerand Road in August 2012. the result of the findings of the Tribunal led to a premium to be paid for the extended lease in respect of Flat 73 in the sum of £10,040. The premium applicable in respect of Flat 85 was £5,710. This case was in relation to 2 flats. The unexpired term as at the valuation date was 72 years.