We see that you have a search directory listing solicitors on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel. Do companies pay you a commission if I appoint them for our conveyancing in Hastings?
We are a listing service only for law firms wishing to communicate if they are on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel or other lender panels. We do not charge referral fees to any conveyancer that you subsequently appoint for your conveyancing in Hastings.
We had chosen conveyancing lawyers located in Hastings on the Coventry BS solicitor approved list. They have just invoiced me a separate fee for dealing with the Coventry BS mortgage. Is this a supplemental conveyancing fee set by Coventry BS?
Unfortunately, as long as it is in their Terms and Conditions or estimate then yes your conveyancing practitioner may levy a fee for this. This charge is not dictated by Coventry BS but by your Hastings property lawyer. Plenty of firms on the Coventry BS panel will charge an ‘acting for lender’ fee and others do not.
I have paid off my mortgage with Nationwide. I assume I don't need a Hastings lawyer on the Nationwide panel to remove the mortgage at the Land Registry. Please confirm.
If you have finished paying off your Nationwide 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 Nationwide mortgage from the register. Nationwide, 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 Nationwide has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
- Nationwide has instructed the Land Registry to do so
I have decided to exercise my right to buy my property in Hastings off the council. I have a mortgage agreed with HSBC. 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 have 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 HSBC, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the HSBC conveyancing panel.
A friend recommended that where I am buying in Hastings I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. What does it cover?
A search of this type is sometimes included in the estimate for your Hastings conveyancing searches. It is not a small document of more than thirty pages, listing and setting out significant information about Hastings around the property and the people living there. It incorporates an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the Hastings Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the type of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average Property Price, Crime details, Hastings Education with plans and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful information concerning Hastings.
I have a 4 bedroom Edwardian house in Hastings. Conveyancing solicitor represented me and HSBC Bank. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and I saw two entries: one for freehold, the second leasehold under the matching address. I'd like to know for sure, how can I find out??
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 proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Hastings and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they mortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with mortgage companies. You can also question the situation with your conveyancing lawyer who conducted the conveyancing.
In scouring the web for the words on line conveyancing in Hastings it reveals many property lawyersin the area. With so much choice what is the best way to find the suitable conveyancer for the sale of my house?
The ideal way of finding a suitable conveyancer is through a personal recommendation, so ask colleagues and family who have purchased a property in Hastings or the local estate agent or mortgage broker. Fees for conveyancing in Hastings differ, so it's a good idea to secure a minimum of four estimates from varying types of solicitors. Make sure that you know that the fees are fixed.
Being a leasehold owner I am on the hook for a service charge for my property in Hastings. As a result of personal circumstances I fell into arrears with remittance. The freeholders agreed a clearance schedule but there remains a couple of outstanding at the current time.
I want to sell and I am panicking this may jeopardize the sale if I have to settle the arrears first. Do I have to settle before - is this practicable?
Your conveyancer will hopefully be able to negotiate with the appropriate parties, and agree with them whether or not they would accept payment out of the completion monies. This is an example of why it might be good to use a property lawyer in Hastings as they are likely to have an established relationship with the management company.