We are purchasing a 2 bedroom apartment in Headington with a mortgage. We like our Headington solicitor, however the lender says she’s not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the lender panel firms or retain our Headington conveyancer as well as pay for one of their panel lawyers to represent them. We regard this is unjust; is there anything we can do?
Unfortunately,no. Your mortgage offer is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the lender’s conveyancing panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. Another option that might be available is for your Headington conveyancing solicitor to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.
I require conveyancing for a flat in a fairly new development (6 years built) in Headington. 95% of the appartments are already disposed of. Do I need carry out the local searches as part of conveyancing in Headington?
You would be opening yourself up to an unnecessary risk in failing carrying out Headington conveyancing searches. Without searches you have no clarity over flooding, environmental etc which may mean you walk away due to potential problems down the line. If you are buying without a mortgage there is no legal necessity to have them, but we would absolutely advise in the strongest possible terms that your solicitor conducts them. If accelerating the process and cost are primary issues you should consider with your conveyancer about the options such as contingency insurance available to you
When it comes to lenders such as Santander, do Headington conveyancing practitioners have to pay an annual charge to be on the list of approved solicitors?
We are not aware of any lender fees to be on their panel, although some do levy an administration fee to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel submission.
Is it the case that all Headington solicitor firms on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel are overseen by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority?
As solicitors, in order to be on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel they would need to be overseen by the SRA. Many mortgage companies do list licenced conveyancers on their panel in which case such practice would be regulated by the CLC.
We are getting a further advance on our home loan from HSBC as we want to carry out alterations to our home in Headington. Are we obliged to appoint a bricks and mortar Headington solicitor on the HSBC conveyancing panel to handle the paperwork?
HSBC do not ordinarily require firms on their approved list of lawyers to deal with the formalities. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the HSBC panel.
Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to our house can not be found. The lawyers who conducted the conveyancing in Headington 5 years ago have long since closed. Will I be able to sell the house?
These day there are duplicates made of almost everything, and your conveyancer will know precisely where to find all the relevant documentation so you may purchase or sell your property without a hitch. Where duplicates can’t be found, your solicitor can arrange cover in the form of insurance or indemnities protecting you against possible claims on your property.
How do I locate a Headington solicitor on the Yorkshire Building Society conveyancing panel? I drive a motor bike and am willing to travel upto 20miles to meet the solicitor.
Feel free to make use of the search on this page. Please pick a bank and your location and you will see a number of Headington conveyancing lawyers located nearest you. We have detailed some Headington conveyancing firms at the bottom of this page and you can contact them to check if they are on the Yorkshire Building Society panel
If all goes to plan we aim to complete our sale of a £350,000 garden flat in Headington next week. The managing agents has quoted £420 for Landlord’s certificate, insurance certificate and previous years statements of service charge. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge such fees for a leasehold conveyance in Headington?
Headington conveyancing on leasehold maisonettes more often than not necessitates the buyer’s lawyer sending questions for the landlord to answer. Although the landlord is not legally bound to answer these enquiries most will be willing to assist. They may charge a reasonable administration fee for responding to questions or supplying documentation. There is no upper cap for such fees. The average costs for the paperwork that you are referring to is over three hundred pounds, in some cases it exceeds £800. The administration charge invoiced by the landlord must be sent together with a synopsis of entitlements and obligations in respect of administration charges, without which the charge is not strictly payable. In reality you have no option but to pay whatever is demanded if you want to exchange contracts with the buyer.
Headington Leasehold Conveyancing - Sample of Questions you should ask Prior to Purchasing
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Best to be warned if changing the roof or some other significant cost is pending to be shared by the tenants and will dramatically impact the level of the service fees or necessitate a specific payment. Its a good idea to discover as much as possible concerning the company managing the building as they will affect your use and enjoyment of the property. Being a leasehold owner you will be in the clutches of the managing agents from a financial perspective and when it comes to day to day matters like the upkeep of the communal areas. You should not be shy to ask other people if they are happy with their management. Finally, investigate as to the dates that the maintenance charges are due to the appropriate party and precisely how they are spending that money. Plenty Headington leasehold flats will incur a service charge for maintenance of the building levied on behalf of the landlord. If you acquire the apartment you will have to pay this charge, normally periodically during the year. This could vary from a few hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for bigger purpose-built blocks. There will also be a rentcharge to be met yearly, normally this is not a significant amount, say around £25-£75 but you need to check as sometimes it can be prohibitively expensive.