I am helping my step-mother sell her house in Hellesdon. Does the solicitor arrange an EPC or it is for the owner to coordinate?
After the demise of Home Packs, EPC’s was maintained a compulsory element of moving property. An EPC needs to be commissioned prior to the property being put on the market. It is not as aspect of the sale process that law firms ordinarily organise. Where you are instructing a Hellesdon conveyancing solicitor they may be willing to arrange energy assessments given their contacts with long established local providers
We had appointed conveyancers located in Hellesdon on the Co-operative solicitor panel. They are now charging me an additional amount for dealing with the Co-operative mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee set by Co-operative?
Unfortunately, so long as it is in their Terms and Conditions or estimate then yes your property lawyer may charge a fee for this. The fee is not set by Co-operative but by your Hellesdon solicitor. Plenty of firms on the Co-operative panel will charge ’dealing with mortgage’ fee but some practices include it on their overall fee.
After months of negotiation I have agreed a price on an apartment in Hellesdon. My financial adviser suggested a lawyer. I paid an upfront payment of £175. A couple of days later, the lawyer contacted me to say that they were not on the Co-operative conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?
You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Co-operative panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.
four months have elapsed since my purchase conveyancing in Hellesdon concluded. I have checked the Land Registry website which shows that I paid £175,000 when infact I paid £215,000. Why the discrepancy?
The price paid figure is taken from the application to register the purchase. It is the figure included in the Transfer (the legal deed which transfers the premises from one person to the other) and referred to as the 'consideration' or purchase price. You can report an error in the price paid figure using the LR online form. In most cases errors result from typos so at first glance the figure. Do report it so they can double check and advise.
How does conveyancing in Hellesdon differ for new build properties?
Most buyers of new build or newly converted property in Hellesdon contact us having been asked by the developer to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the property is constructed. This is because new home sellers in Hellesdon tend to buy the real estate, 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 property lawyers 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 used to new build conveyancing in Hellesdon or who has acted in the same development.
Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold element on a house I have offered on last month in what should have been a quick, chain free conveyancing. Hellesdon is the location of the property. What do you suggest?
Flying freeholds in Hellesdon are not the norm but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside Hellesdon you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds diligently. Your mortgage company may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Hellesdon may ascertain 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 property.
I am thinking of appointing a conveyancing practitioner in Hellesdon for my purchase. Is there any facility to see a solicitor's complaints history with the legal regulator?
You can review presented Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) determinations resulting from investigations started on or after 1 January 2008. Visit Check a solicitor's record. For information Pre 2008, or to check a firm's record, phone 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and 09.30 - 18.00 Tuesday. For callers outside the UK, call +44 (0)121 329 6800. The SRA sometimes recorded telephone calls for training requirements.
Back In 2004, I bought a leasehold house in Hellesdon. Conveyancing and Santander mortgage organised. I have received a letter from someone saying they have taken over the freehold. It included a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1992. The conveyancing solicitor in Hellesdon who acted for me is not around. What should I do?
The first thing you should do is make enquiries of HMLR to be sure that the individual purporting to own the freehold is indeed the registered owner of the freehold reversion. You do not need to instruct a Hellesdon conveyancing lawyer to do this as it can be done on-line for a few pound. You should note that in any event, even if this is the rightful freeholder, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.
Hellesdon Leasehold Conveyancing - Sample of Queries before Purchasing
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Is the freehold owned jointly by the leaseholders? Who manages the building? In the main the outlay for major works tend not to be included within maintenance charges, albeit that there some managing agents in Hellesdon obliged leasehold owners to contribute towards a reserve fund and this is used to offset against larger repairs or maintenance.