The Haltwhistle conveyancing lawyers that I appointed last week on my house acquisition in Haltwhistle have without warning shut down. I only went with them because I needed a lawyer on the Santander conveyancing panel and my preferred Haltwhistle lawyer was not. I wrote them a cheque for two hundred pounds in advance. What should be my next steps?
Assuming that you have an Estate Agent in the equation then inform them straight away so that they can let the sellers know that there may be a slight delay due to the problems encountered. Most sellers would be sympathetic and urge their lawyer to send a new set of papers to your new solicitors. You should appoint new lawyers that are on the Santander 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 should be in a position to assist.
The deeds to my home are lost. The lawyers who conducted the conveyancing in Haltwhistle 10 years ago have long since closed. Will I be able to sell the house?
As long as you have a registered title the information relating to your ownership will be documented by the Land Registry with a Title Number. It is possible to carry out a search at the Land Registry, identify your house and secure up to date copies of the property title for less than a fiver. If the property is Leasehold then the Land Registry will usually retain a file duplicate of the Registered Lease and again, a copy can be obtained for £20 inclusive of VAT.
Should I be suspicious that 3rd parties that I am dealing with are recommending a national conveyancing firm rather than a High Street Haltwhistle conveyancing practice?
As with lots of service providers, often referrals from connections can be worth their weight in gold. Nevertheless there are numerous people with a keen interest in a conveyancing matter; estate agents, financial adviser and mortgage companies may put forward lawyers to retain. On occasion these conveyancers might be known to one of the organisations as one of the best in their field, but sometimes there exists a commercial relationship behind the endorsement. You have the right to choose your preferred lawyer. You need to be aware that the majority of banks have an approved list of lawyers you have to use for the mortgage aspect of your conveyancing.
My husband and I are one month into a leasehold purchase having been recommend to conveyancers by the local agent to execute conveyancing in Haltwhistle. I am am very disappointed with the level of service. Can you you assist me in finding new lawyers?
They would need to be really poor in order to consider diss instructing them. Has your loan offer been issued? In the event that it has you will need to advise them of the replacement solicitor and ensure the mortgage documents are re-sent. Your new solicitor ideally should be on the lenders approved list to avoid escalating expenses and complications. So that should be your first question of the new solicitors. The find a solicitor tool should help you find a bank approved lawyer for your conveyancing in Haltwhistle
Estate agents have just been given the go-ahead to market my ground floor flat in Haltwhistle. Conveyancing lawyers have not yet been instructed, however I have just received a half-yearly maintenance charge invoice – what should I do?
Your conveyancing lawyer is likely to suggest that you should pay the service charge as normal as all ground rent and service invoices should be apportioned on completion, so you will be reimbursed by the purchaser for the period running from after the completion date to the next payment date. Most managing agents will not acknowledge the buyer unless the service charges have been paid and are up to date, so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. Having a clear account will assist your cause and will leave you no worse off financially.
I bought a ground floor flat in Haltwhistle, conveyancing having been completed half a dozen years ago. Can you give me give me an indication of the likely cost of a lease extension? Corresponding flats in Haltwhistle with over 90 years remaining are worth £180,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £65 invoiced annually. The lease ends on 21st October 2083
You have 59 years left to run we estimate the price of your lease extension to be between £20,900 and £24,200 plus professional fees.
The figure above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to provide a more accurate figure without more detailed due diligence. Do not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt other concerns that need to be taken into account and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you move forward based on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.
Why do I have to provide my solicitor with numerous items of ID before they can proceed with selling or buying a property in Haltwhistle?
Haltwhistle solicitors are duty bound by the Law Society, SRA, HM Land Registry and current Money Laundering legislation to certify that the have verified the identity of their clients. It will also be a requirement of your mortgage offer. Furthermore they have to complete various forms, particularly those relating to Land Tax and need to have information such as your full names, national insurance number and DOB.