I am selling my maisonette in Huddersfield and the estate agent has just e-mailed to say that the purchasers are swapping solicitor. I am told that this is due to the fact that the lender will only deal with property lawyers on their approved list. Why would a big named mortgage company only engage with certain solicitors rather the firm that they want to appoint to handle their conveyancing in Huddersfield ?
Banks have always had panels of law firms they are willing to work with, but in the last few years big names such as Yorkshire Building Society, have considered and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have represented them for many years.
Banks point to the increase in fraud by way of justification for the cull – criteria have been tightened as a smaller panel is easier to maintain. Banks tend not to reveal how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society claims that it is being contacted daily by practices that have been removed from panels. Some do not even realise they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyers' case. The buyers are not going to have any sway in the decision.
I have been told that property searches are the primary reason for obstruction in Huddersfield conveyancing transactions. Is there any truth in this?
The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) has noted the findings of a review by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not figure within the common causes of delays in the conveyancing process. Searches are not likely to feature in any delay in conveyancing in Huddersfield.
My wife and I have a semi-detached Georgian property in Huddersfield. Conveyancing lawyer acted for me and Yorkshire Building Society. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and I saw two entries: one for freehold, the second leasehold with the matching address. If a house is not a freehold shouldn't I have been informed?
You need to assess the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register as there may be mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Huddersfield and other areas of 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 mortgage companies. You can also question the position with the conveyancing solicitor who conducted the conveyancing.
I opted to have a survey carried out on a house in Huddersfield in advance of retaining conveyancers. I have been informed that there is a flying freehold element to the property. The surveyor advised that some lenders may not issue a loan on a flying freehold property.
It depends who your proposed lender is. Bank of Scotland has different instructions from Nationwide. If you contact us we can look into this further via the appropriate lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Huddersfield. Conveyancing may be slightly more expensive based on your lender's requirements.
Taking into account that I am about to part with hundreds of thousands of pounds on a property in Huddersfield I would like to talk to a conveyancer regarding thehome move in advance of instructing the firm. Is this something that you can arrange?
This is something that we encourage - we would be pleased to talk to you we do not take any clients on without you first talking to the lawyer who will be conducting your property ownership legalities in Huddersfield.There is no ‘factory style conveyancing’ - every client is unique person, not a case number. The practices that we put you in touch with believe that the figure you are calculated and presented to you for your conveyancing in Huddersfield should be the amount on the final invoice that you end up paying.
Can you offer any advice when it comes to finding a Huddersfield conveyancing firm to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?
When appointing a solicitor for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Huddersfield conveyancing firm) it is most important that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We suggest that you talk with several firms including non Huddersfield conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. The following questions might be useful:
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What volume of lease extensions has the firm conducted in Huddersfield in the last twenty four months? What are the legal fees for lease extension conveyancing?
Huddersfield Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - A selection of Queries Prior to Purchasing
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How is the lease structured? What prohibitions are there in the Huddersfield Lease? For most Huddersfield leaseholds the outlay for major works tend not to be included within maintenance charges, albeit that there some managing agents in Huddersfield ask leasehold owners to contribute towards a reserve fund created for the specific purpose of establishing a fund for larger works.