Is the fact that my conveyancer in High Holborn is not identified on my lender's conveyancing panel that there is a problem with the quality of his work?
It would not be wise to jump to that conclusion. There are all sorts of perfectly plausible explanations. Just recently a report by the solicitors regulator indicated 76% of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The top 5 reasons are as follows: (1) low volume of transactions (2) the solicitor is a sole practitioner (3) as part of the HSBC panel reduction (4) regulatory contact by SRA (5) accidental removal. If you are concerned you should contact the High Holborn conveyancing firm and enquire why they are no longer on the approved list for your bank.
Do lenders provide you with an approved list of High Holborn conveyancing solicitors? How do you know who is on the Barclays conveyancing panel?
High Holborn conveyancing firms themselves provide us confirmation that they are on the Barclays conveyancing panel as opposed to being supplied with a list from Barclays directly.
Have just purchased a repossessed house at auction in High Holborn. Conveyancing is required. What is next?
Having legally bound yourself to purchase you should find a conveyancing lawyer quickly as you are facing a tight deadline in which to complete the property. An auction property should have a bespoke auction set of papers. This should include most,if not all of the documents that your conveyancer requires. In the case of leasehold premises the conveyancing pack should include a copy of the lease, management information and a sellers leasehold information form and associated conveyancing paperwork relating to leasehold premises. You should pass this on to the lawyer working for you as soon as possible. Do make sure that that you have the requisite funding in place to complete on the date specified in the contract.
I am expecting a DIP from Yorkshire BS this week so we can work out what to offer on a property we like as otherwise we only have online calculators to go by (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do Yorkshire BS recommend any High Holborn solicitors on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel, or is it better to go independently?
You will need to appoint High Holborn solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and Yorkshire BS through the process.
Having read lots of mortgage guides, I note that it is considered advisable to get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local High Holborn solicitor - who is on the TSB conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. is that correct?
TSB will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually TSB will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. You may wish to consider appointing your own High Holborn surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller.
We are selling our property in High Holborn and according to the buyers it appears that there is a risk of it being constructed on contaminated land. A high street High Holborn conveyancer would know this is not the case. For the life of me I don't know why the purchasers instructed a factory type conveyancing practice rather than a conveyancing solicitor in High Holborn. Having lived in High Holborn for three years we know of no issue. Should we contact our local Authority to seek confirmation that there is no issue.
It sounds as though you may have a conveyancing solicitor currently acting for you. Are they able to advise? You need to check with your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out life insurance to cover that same ailment)
We're novice buyers - had an offer accepted, but the estate agent told us that the owners will only go ahead if we instruct the agent's chosen conveyancers as they need a ‘quick sale’. We would rather use a family conveyancer accustomed to conveyancing in High Holborn
It is improbable the vendors are driving this. If they desire ‘a quick sale', taking such a hostile approach to a motivated purchaser is counter productive. Contact the owners directly and make the point that (a)you are genuine purchasers (b)you are excited to move forward, with mortgage lined up © you are unencumbered (d) you wish to move quickly (e)but you intend to instruct your preferred High Holborn conveyancing lawyers - as opposed tothe ones that will give their negotiator at the agency a commission or meet his conveyancing targets set by head office.
I am looking at a couple of maisonettes in High Holborn which have approximately forty five years left on the lease term. Do I need to be concerned?
A lease is a legal document that entitles you to use the property for a period of time. As the lease gets shorter the saleability of the lease decreases and it becomes more expensive to acquire a lease extension. This is why it is generally wise to increase the term of the lease. It is often difficult to sell a property with a short lease because mortgage lenders may be unwilling to lend money on properties of this type. Lease extension can be a difficult process. We recommend you get professional assistance from a solicitor and surveyor with experience in this field.
I am the leaseholder of a a ground floor purpose built flat in High Holborn. Given that I can not reach agreement with the landlord, can the Leasehold valuation Tribunal make a decision on the amount due for a lease extension?
if there is a missing freeholder or if there is disagreement about the premium for a lease extension, under the relevant statutes it is possible to make an application to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) to arrive at the sum to be paid.
An example of a Lease Extension matter before the tribunal for a High Holborn property is Flat 89 Trinity Court Grays Inn Road in February 2013. the Tribunal found that the premium to be paid by the tenant on the grant of a new lease, in accordance with section 56 and Schedule 13 to the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 should be £36,229. This case affected 1 flat. The unexpired lease term was 66.8 years.