It is a dozen years since I acquired my home in Hartford. Conveyancing solicitors have just been instructed on the sale but I am unable to track down my title deeds. Will this jeopardise the sale?
You need not be too concerned. Firstly there is a possibility that the deeds will be kept by your lender or they may be in the possession of the lawyers who handled the purchase. Secondly in most cases the property will be recorded at the land registry and you will be able to prove you are the registered owner by your conveyancing lawyers acquiring current official copies of the land registers. The vast majority of conveyancing in Hartford relates to registered property but in the unlikely event that your property is not registered it is more tricky but is not insurmountable.
The Hartford conveyancing lawyers that I appointed last week on my purchase in Hartford have without warning closed. They were on acting for me because I had to have a firm on the Coventry BS conveyancing panel and my previous Hartford lawyer was not. I cut them a cheque for two hundred pounds in advance. What do I do now?
If you have an estate agent involved then inform them immediately so that they can let the sellers know that there may be a slight delay due to reasons beyond your control. Most sellers would be sympathetic and urge their lawyer to send a new set of papers to your new solicitors. You will need to appoint new lawyers that are on the Coventry BS 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.
I've recently found out that there is a flying freehold element on a house I put an offer in two weeks back in what was supposed to be a straight forward, chain free conveyancing. Hartford is the location of the property. What do you suggest?
Flying freeholds in Hartford are rare but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even though you don't necessarily need a conveyancing solicitor in Hartford you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds thoroughly. Your bank may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Hartford may determine that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold residence.
How simple is it to switch firm as I have to retain a firm on the Coventry Building Society conveyancing panel. I instructed a local conveyancing solicitor in Hartford round the corner but he is not approved by Coventry Building Society
It would be our pleasure to assist you select a conveyancing solicitor in Hartford on the Coventry Building Society panel. Please note that the conveyancers that we on the directory do not pay us a referral fee if you instruct them and are under regulation of the Solicitors Regulation Authority who oversee all conveyancing solicitors in Hartford. In making use of search facility on this website, you can compare and instruct different solicitors and conveyancers both nationally and in Hartford.
I've recently bought a leasehold property in Hartford. 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. However, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. It is an essential part 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 purchased a studio flat in Hartford, conveyancing having been completed half a dozen years ago. Can you let me have an estimated range of the fair premium for a lease extension? Corresponding properties in Hartford with over 90 years remaining are worth £197,000. The ground rent is £55 charged once a year. The lease finishes on 21st October 2077
With 55 years remaining on your lease we estimate the premium for your lease extension to span between £31,400 and £36,200 as well as legals.
The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure without more comprehensive due diligence. Do not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt other concerns that need to be taken into account and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not take any other action placing reliance on this information before getting professional advice.
I have been recommended a conveyancing solicitor in Hartford. I need to find out if they are on the bank's conveyancing panel. Can you help?
You should phone the lawyer and ask them if they are on the lender's approved list. If that does not help get in touch with us and we can make some checks for you. If they are not on the bank panel we can certainly arrange a specialist conveyancing solicitor in Hartford on the panel for your lender.