My fiance and I are hoping to purchase a flat in Haslington and have appointed a Haslington conveyancing practice. Within the last couple of days our lawyer has sent a preliminary report and documents to look through in anticipation of exchanging contracts shortly. Norwich and Peterborough Building Society have this afternoon contacted us to advise us that they have now hit a problem as our Haslington conveyancer is not on their approved list of lawyers. Is this a problem?
When purchasing a property with mortgage finance it is standard for the purchasers' lawyers to also represent the purchaser's lender. In order to act for a bank or building society a law firm has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the law firm to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the firm has to satisfy and indeed some lenders now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme. Your solicitor should contact your bank and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own lawyers to represent them. You are not legally obliged to appoint a law firm on the bank's conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own Haslington solicitors, in which case it will likely add costs, and it will likely delay the transaction as you are adding another lawyer into the mix.
I own a freehold property in Haslington but still charged rent, why is this and what is this?
It is rare for properties in Haslington and has limited impact for conveyancing in Haslington but some freehold properties in England (particularly common in North West England) pay an annual sum known as a Chief Rent or a Rentcharge to a third party who has no other legal interest in the land.
Rentcharge payments are usually between £2.00 and £5.00 per year. Rentcharges date back hundreds of years, but the Rent Charge Act 1977 barred the creation of fresh rentcharges from 1977 onwards.
Old rentcharges can now be redeemed by making a one off payment under the Act. Any rentcharges that are still in existence after 2037 is to be dispensed with completely.
My grandfather passed away 10 months ago and as sole heir and executor I was left the house in Haslington. The house had a small mortgage left on it of around £5k. I want to transfer the title deeds into my name whilst I re-mortgage to Barclays, pay off the mortgage. Is this possible?
If you intend to refinance then Barclays will insist on your using a conveyancer on the Barclays conveyancing panel. Here is link to the Land Registry online guidance around what to do when a property owner dies. This will help you to understand the registration process behind changing the details re the registered title. in your case it would appear that you are effectively purchasing the property from the estate. Your Barclays conveyancing panel solicitor pays the new mortgage money into the estate, the estate pays off the old mortgage, the charge is released and you become the owner and the Barclays mortgage is registered as a charge at the Land Registry.
My bid for a property was accepted at auction in Haslington. Conveyancing is necessary. What happens now?
Having legally committed yourself to purchase you must instruct a conveyancing solicitor quickly as you are faced with a tight deadline in which to complete the conveyancing. Every auction property will ordinarily have a bespoke auction set of papers. This will include most,if not all of the documents that your lawyer requires. If you have purchased leasehold premises the auction papers should contain a copy of the lease, management information and a sellers leasehold information form and associated conveyancing paperwork relating to leasehold premises. You must hand this to your appointed conveyancing solicitor as soon as possible. Do make sure that your finances are organised to complete on the on the contractual date .
I have decided to exercise my right to buy my property in Haslington off the council. I have a mortgage agreed with Virgin Money. Conveyancing is not something I have any knowledge of. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should use one. Any advice?
It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with Virgin Money, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel.
I am due to exchange contracts on my house. I had a double glazing fitted in February 2010, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My purchaser’s mortgage company, Co-operative are being difficult. The Haslington solicitor who is on the Co-operative conveyancing panel is recommending indemnity insurance as a solution but Co-operative are requiring a building regulation certificate. Why do Co-operative have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?
It is probably the case that Co-operative have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Co-operative may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing was correctly and safely installed. The indemnity insurance merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.
Do commercial conveyancing searches reveal proposed roadworks that could impact a commercial estate in Haslington?
Its becoming the norm that commercial conveyancing solicitors in Haslington will perform a SiteSolutions Highways report as it dramatically cuts the time that conveyancers expend in researching accurate data on highways that impact buildings and development assets in Haslington. The search result provides definitive data on the adoption status of roads, footpaths and verges, as well as the implication of traffic schemes and the rights of way surrounding a commercial development sites in Haslington.
For every commercial conveyancing transaction in Haslington it is crucial to investigate the adoption status of roads surrounding a site. The absence of identifying developments where adoption procedures have not been addressed adequately may result in delays to Haslington commercial conveyancing deals as well as present a risk to future intentions for the site. These searches are not carried out for domestic conveyancing in Haslington.
I bought my house on 13 July and my personal details are still not registered. Should I be concerned? My conveyancing solicitor in Haslington said it will be recorded inside ten days. Are titles in Haslington particularly slow to register?
There is nothing unique about conveyancing in Haslington registration formalities. As opposed to being determined by geographic area, timeframes can vary subject to who lodges the application, whether there are errors and whether the Land registry communicate with any third parties. Currently in the region of 80% of submission are completed within two weeks but some can be subject to longer hold-ups. Registration is effected once the new owner is living at the property therefore post completion formalities is not always primary concern yet where it is urgent that the the registration takes place urgently then you or your conveyancer could speak with the land registry and explain the circumstances.