My wife and I are looking to acquire a house in Holmfirth and have appointed a Holmfirth conveyancing firm. Within the past 48 hours our lawyer has sent a preliminary report and documents to look through with a view to exchanging next week. Bank of Ireland have this evening contacted us to inform me that there is now an issue as our Holmfirth solicitor is not on their conveyancing panel. Please explain?
When purchasing a property with mortgage finance it is normal for the purchasers' lawyers to also act for the purchaser's lender. In order to act for a bank or building society a law firm has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the law firm to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the firm has to satisfy and indeed some lenders now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Accreditation Scheme. Your solicitor should contact your mortgage company and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own solicitors to act. You don't have to instruct a firm on the lender’s conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own Holmfirth solicitors, in which case it will likely add costs, and it may delay matters as you are adding another lawyer into the mix.
When scouring mumsnet.com for an affordable lawyer in Holmfirth, most comment that I should use a CQS assured solicitor. Can you explain what CQS is?
The Law Society's Conveyancing Quality Scheme is the recognised kitemark for legal experts in buying or selling property, trusted by some of the UK's biggest mortgage companies. Four years ago the Conveyancing Quality Scheme was officially recognised by the Legal Ombudsman. The scheme does not cover licenced conveyancers. Holmfirth is one of the many areas in England and Wales where there are CQS lawyers.
My colleague advised me that where I am purchasing in Holmfirth I should ask my conveyancer to perform a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?
A search of this type is occasionally quoted for as part of the standard Holmfirth conveyancing searches. It is a large document of more than thirty pages, listing and detailing important information about Holmfirth around the property and the people living there. It incorporates an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the Holmfirth Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the type of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average House Prices, Crime statistics, Holmfirth Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful information regarding Holmfirth.
In my capacity as executor for the will of my grandfather I am selling a house in Cardiff but I am based in Holmfirth. My solicitor (approximately 260 kilometers awayneeds me to sign a statutory declaration ahead of completion. Could you suggest a conveyancing solicitor in Holmfirth who can attest and place their company stamp on the document?
Technically speaking you are not likely to be required to have the documents attested by a conveyancing solicitor. Normally or notary public or qualified solicitor will do regardless of whether they are located in Holmfirth
I own a leasehold house in Holmfirth. Conveyancing and The Mortgage Works mortgage are in place. A letter has just been received from someone saying they have taken over the reversionary interest in the property. Attached was a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1994. The conveyancing practitioner in Holmfirth who previously acted has now retired. Do I pay?
The first thing you should do is make enquiries of HMLR to make sure that this person is indeed the new freeholder. It is not necessary to instruct a Holmfirth conveyancing practitioner to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for a few pound. Rest assured that in any event, even if this is the legitimate freeholder, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.
I bought a 1st floor flat in Holmfirth, conveyancing having been completed April 2005. Can you please calculate a probable premium for a statutory lease extension? Equivalent properties in Holmfirth with an extended lease are worth £216,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 yearly. The lease finishes on 21st October 2091
With 69 years left to run we estimate the price of your lease extension to range between £9,500 and £11,000 as well as legals.
The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to advice on a more accurate figure in the absence of comprehensive due diligence. Do not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt additional concerns that need to be considered and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action placing reliance on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.
My conveyancing in Holmfirth is set to complete this Friday, however the owners I am purchasing off wishes to vacate 24 hours later at midday. Do I agree to such a plan?
You can't complete on a Saturday due to the bank systems aren't working.