We are planning to acquire a house and need a conveyancing solicitor in Hammersmith who is on the Principality solicitor panel. Could you point me in the right direction as regards a firm?
Our service is limited to being a directory service for firms who wish to be listed as being on the approved conveyancing panel for Principality . We don't recommend any particular firms conducting conveyancing in Hammersmith.
A friend informed me that in purchasing a property in Hammersmith there may be various restrictions preventing external alterations to a property. Is this right?
We are aware of a number of properties in Hammersmith which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to external changes. Part of the conveyancing in Hammersmith should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.
I have today made my last payment due on my mortgage with Nottingham. I assume I don't need a Hammersmith conveyancing practitioner on the Nottingham panel to discharge the mortgage at the Land Registry. Am I right?
If you have finished paying off your Nottingham 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 Nottingham mortgage from the register. Nottingham, 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 Nottingham has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
- Nottingham has instructed the Land Registry to do so
It is unclear whether my lender requires a lease extension. I have telephoned my Hammersmith bank branch on numerous occasions and was told they are content with the situation and they will lend. My Hammersmith conveyancing solicitor - who is on the lender conveyancing panel- telephoned to say that they will not lend in accordance with their specific requirements. Who do I believe?
Your conveyancing practitioner has to comply with the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook Part 2 conditions for your bank. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that the bank will go ahead, your lawyer has no choice but to refrain from exchanging contract and committing you to the purchase. We would suggest that you ask the bank to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the number of years left on the lease.
I own a 4 bedroom Edwardian property in Hammersmith. Conveyancing solicitor represented me and Nationwide Building Society. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and I saw two entries: one for freehold, another for leasehold with the matching property. If a house is not a freehold shouldn't I have been informed?
You need to assess 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 Hammersmith and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they buy they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with mortgage companies. You can also question the situation with your conveyancing solicitor who carried out the work.
How does conveyancing in Hammersmith differ for new build properties?
Most buyers of new build property in Hammersmith approach us having been asked by the housebuilder to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the residence is built. This is because builders in Hammersmith usually acquire 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 Hammersmith or who has acted in the same development.
As co-executor for the will of my grandmother I am selling a residence in Newport but live in Hammersmith. My lawyer (who is 200 miles awayhas requested that I sign a statutory declaration before completion. Can you recommend a conveyancing lawyer in Hammersmith who can witness this legal document for me?
strictly speaking you are unlikely to be required to have the documents attested by a conveyancing solicitor. Normally or notary public or solicitor will suffice regardless of whether they are Hammersmith based
I have just appointed agents to market my 2 bed flat in Hammersmith. Conveyancing lawyers have not yet been instructed, but I have recently received a yearly maintenance charge invoice – what should I do?
It best that you discharge the invoice as you normally would as all ground rent and maintenance payments should be allotted as part of the financial calculations for completion monies, so you will be reimbursed by the buyer for the period running from after the completion date to the next payment date. Most management companies will not acknowledge the buyer until 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.
Having spent years of correspondence we are unable to agree with our landlord on how much the lease extension should cost for our flat in Hammersmith. Does the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal have jurisdiction to calculate the appropriate figures?
Absolutely. We are happy to put you in touch with a Hammersmith conveyancing firm who can help.
An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement case for a Hammersmith residence is 19 Crisp Road in June 2009. Following a vesting order (Under section 26 of the Leasehold Reform,Housing and Urban Development Act 1993) The tribunal determined that the premium payable for the acquisition of the freehold was £33,756,apportioned as to£12,285 for the lower at and £21,471for the upper fat. This case related to 2 flats. The unexpired term as at the valuation date was 68.32 years.
