Am I correct in assuming that the fact that my solicitor in Holland Park is not on my mortgage company's conveyancing panel that there is a problem with the quality of the firm’s conveyancing?
That is most likely a wrong assumption to make. There are plenty of reasonable explanations. A recent report by the solicitors regulator indicated that over three quarters 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 lawyer is a sole practitioner (3) as part of the HSBC panel reduction (4) regulatory contact by SRA (5) accidental removal. Where you are concerned you should simply call the Holland Park conveyancing practice and enquire why they are no longer on the approved list for your mortgage company.
My partner and I are approaching an exchange on a house in Holland Park and my mum and dad have transferred the ten percent deposit to my solicitor. I am now told that as the deposit has not arrived from me my solicitor needs to make a notification to my bank. I am advised that, in also acting for the lender he must advise them that the balance of the purchase price is coming from anyone other than me. I advised the mortgage company about my parents' contribution when I applied for the mortgage, so is it really necessary for this now to be an issue?
Your conveyancing practitioner is duty bound to clarify with the bank to ensure that they know that the balance of the purchase price is not from your own funds. The solicitor can only report this to your lender if you permit them to, failing which, your lawyer must cease to continue acting.
I just bought a property at auction in Holland Park. Conveyancing is required. What is next?
Now that you are exchanged you must hire the services of a conveyancing solicitor soon as you are facing a pending a fixed date to complete the purchase. All auction property will ordinarily have an associated legal set of papers. This will include most,if not all of the paperwork that your conveyancer requires. Where you are dealing with leasehold property the legal pack should provide a copy of the lease, management information and a sellers leasehold information form and associated conveyancing paperwork specific to leasehold premises. You must give this to the solicitor instructed by you as soon as possible. You also need to ensure that your finances are in place to complete the transaction on the set completion date.
We previously appointed conveyancers based in Holland Park on the TSB solicitor approved list. They are now charging me a separate amount for the legal aspects of the TSB mortgage. Is this a supplemental conveyancing fee specified by TSB?
Provided it is contained in their Terms of Engagement or estimate then yes your property lawyer may levy a fee for this. The charge is not dictated by TSB but by your Holland Park conveyancer. Some firms on the TSB panel will quote ’dealing with mortgage’ fee and others do not.
After what feels like an age I have had an offer on an apartment in Holland Park agreed to, the owners do nevertheless have a connected purchase. The vendors have offered on a property, but it’s not yet agreed to, and have viewings of other properties booked. I have chosen a local conveyancing solicitor in Holland Park. What should be my next step? When should I get the mortgage application with Nationwide going?
It is understandable to have concerns where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to be too out of pocket too early (mortgage application is in the region of £1k, then valuation, Holland Park conveyancing search charges, etc). The first course of action is to ensure that your conveyancer is on the Nationwide conveyancing panel. Regarding the subsequent phase this very much depends on the circumstances of your case, attraction to this property and on the state of the market. In a buoyant market some home buyers will apply for a home loan with Nationwide and pay for the valuation and only if it comes back ok would they request their conveyancing practitioner to press on with searches.
Me and my brother purchased a terraced Edwardian house in Holland Park. Conveyancing solicitor acted for me and Santander. I did a free Land Registry search last week and I saw two entries: the first freehold, another for leasehold with the matching property. I'd like to know for sure, how can I find out??
You should 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 Holland Park and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they buy they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with lenders. You can also enquire as to the situation with the conveyancing lawyer who conducted the conveyancing.
I am looking for a conveyancing lawyer in Holland Park for my purchase. Is there any facility to review a solicitor's complaints history with the legal regulator?
Members of the public may search for published Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) determinations resulting from inquisitions from 2008 onwards. Visit Check a solicitor's record. For records about the period before 1 January 2008, or to check a solicitors history, phone 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 any week day save for Tuesday when lines open at 9.30am. For non-uk callers, dial +44 (0)121 329 6800. The regulator could recorded telephone calls for training reasons.
I’m about to sell my garden flat in Holland Park. Conveyancing is yet to be initiated, but I have just received a half-yearly service charge demand – what should I do?
Your conveyancing lawyer is likely to suggest that you should discharge the maintenance contribution as you normally would because all ground rent and maintenance invoices should be allotted on completion, so you should recover the relevant percentage by the buyer 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. Having a clear account will assist your cause and will leave you no worse off financially.
Notwithstanding our best efforts, we have been unsuccessful in trying to purchase the freehold in Holland Park. Can this matter be resolved via the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal?
Absolutely. We can put you in touch with a Holland Park conveyancing firm who can help.
An example of a Lease Extension decision for a Holland Park premises is 93 Oakwood Court in June 2010. the LVT determined that the premium to be paid for the new lease was £492,083, This case affected 1 flat. The number of years remaining on the existing lease(s) was 37.79 years.