We are a couple about to exchange contracts for a ground floor flat in Highcliffe. We have hit a stumbling block. Our loan offer with Aldermore runs out on 24/11/2025 but the owners are insisting on a completion date of 26/11/2025. Can one extend the loan offer?
The person best placed to deal with your issue is your lawyer who is in a position to assess if they better off negotiating with the lender, owner’s conveyancers, selling agents or possibly all three taking into account the history of your transaction to date.
We previously chose conveyancing lawyers based in Highcliffe on the Barclays solicitor approved list. They are now charging me a further amount for dealing with the Barclays mortgage. Is this a supplemental conveyancing fee specified by Barclays?
Provided it is contained in their Terms and Conditions or Quote then yes your conveyancing practitioner may charge a fee for this. The charge is not dictated by Barclays but by your Highcliffe conveyancing practitioner. Some firms on the Barclays panel will levy an ‘acting for lender’ fee but some firms incorporate it on their overall fee.
I have a mortgage with Bank of Ireland for my property in Highcliffe. Conveyancing was finalised months ago. If I am intending to rent out the flat and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a buy-to-let mortgage or inform Bank of Ireland?
Bank of Ireland must be informed of your intention in advance of letting out your property as this is likely to be a breach of Bank of Ireland’s mortgage conditions. In many cases banks or building societies will allow you to rent out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact Bank of Ireland directly. It should not be necessary to do this via a Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel lawyer.
Our sealed bid on a semi in Highcliffe has been accepted, but there is a chain. The owners have offered on on an apartment, but it’s not been accepted yet, and have viewings of other properties booked. I have chosen a nearby conveyancing solicitor in Highcliffe. What should be my next step? When should I get the mortgage application with HSBC going?
It is usual to have anxieties where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to be too out of pocket prematurely (home loan application is in the region of £1k, then valuation, Highcliffe conveyancing search charges, etc). The first course of action is to ensure that your conveyancing practitioner is on the HSBC conveyancing panel. Concerning the subsequent stages this very much depends on the uniqueness of your case, desire for this property and on the state of the market. In a buoyant market some home buyers will apply for the mortgage with HSBC and arrange for the valuation and only if it comes back ok would they ask their lawyer to press on with searches.
Should our conveyancer be raising enquiries regarding flooding as part of the conveyancing in Highcliffe.
The risk of flooding is if increasing concern for lawyers dealing with homes in Highcliffe. Some people will purchase a property in Highcliffe, fully aware that at some time, it may suffer from flooding. However, aside from the physical destruction, if a house is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to get a mortgage, suitable building insurance, or sell the property. Steps can be carried out during the course of a house purchase to forewarn the purchaser.
Conveyancers are not qualified to give advice on flood risk, but there are a numerous searches that can be carried out by the purchaser or on a buyer’s behalf which should figure out the risks in Highcliffe. The conventional set of completed inquiry forms sent to a purchaser’s conveyancer (where the Conveyancing Protocol is adopted) contains a usual question of the vendor to determine if the property has suffered from flooding. In the event that flooding has previously occurred and is not notified by the owner, then a purchaser could commence a legal claim for losses as a result of such an misleading response. The buyer’s conveyancers will also carry out an enviro report. This will higlight if there is any known flood risk. If so, more detailed inquiries will need to be made.
Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly identified during conveyancing in Highcliffe?
Covenants that are restrictive in nature can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the process of conveyancing in Highcliffe. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’
My wife and I may need to sub-let our Highcliffe basement flat for a while due to a career opportunity. We instructed a Highcliffe conveyancing practice in 2003 but they have closed and we did not think at the time seek any guidance as to whether the lease permits subletting. How do we find out?
The lease governs relations between the landlord and you the flat owner; specifically, it will indicate if subletting is prohibited, or permitted but only subject to certain caveats. The rule is that if the lease contains no specific ban or restriction, subletting is allowed. Most leases in Highcliffe do not contain an absolute prevention of subletting – such a provision would undoubtedly devalue the property. In most cases there is a basic requirement that the owner notifies the freeholder, possibly supplying a copy of the tenancy agreement.
Leasehold Conveyancing in Highcliffe - Examples of Questions you should ask Prior to Purchasing
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What prohibitions exist in the Highcliffe Lease? Plenty Highcliffe leasehold apartments will have a service charge for maintenance of the block set by the freeholder. Where you acquire the apartment you will have to meet this amount, usually periodically accross the year. This may be anything from a few hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for large purpose-built buildings. In all probability there will be a rentcharge to be met yearly, normally this is not a exorbitant sum, say about £50-£100 but you should to enquire it because occasionally it can be many hundreds of pounds. This information is useful as a) areas could cause problems in the block as the common areas may start to deteriorate if maintenance are not paid for b) if the leaseholders have an issue with the managing agents you will want to know about it
Estate agents have just been given the go-ahead to market my ground floor flat in Highcliffe.Conveyancing lawyers have not yet been instructed however I have recently had a quarterly maintenance charge demand – what should I do?
The sensible thing to do is discharge the maintenance contribution as normal given that all rents and maintenance payments will be allottedon completion, so you will be reimbursed by the purchaser for the period running from after the completion date to the next payment date. Most managing agents will not acknowledge the buyer unless the service charges have been paid and are up to date so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. This will smooth the conveyancing process