We are looking to buy a house and require a conveyancing solicitor in Ickenham who is on the HSBC solicitor panel. Can you recommend a local firm?
Our service is limited to being a directory service for firms who wish to be listed as being on the approved conveyancing panel for HSBC . We don't recommend any particular firms conducting conveyancing in Ickenham.
My colleague recommended that if I am purchasing in Ickenham I should ask my conveyancer to execute a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?
This is a search is usually included in the estimate for your Ickenham conveyancing searches. It is not a small document of about 40 pages, listing and setting out important information about Ickenham around the property and the people living there. It includes an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the Ickenham Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the type of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average Property Price, Crime statistics, Local Education with plans and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data regarding Ickenham.
I own a renovated Georgian house in Ickenham. Conveyancing practitioner acted for me and Halifax. I did a free Land Registry search last week and there are two entries: the first freehold, the second leasehold under the exact same address. I thought I was buying a freehold how can I check?
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 Ickenham 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 check the position with your conveyancing practitioner who conducted the purchase.
I've recently found out that there is a flying freehold issue on a property I have offered on last month in what was supposed to be a simple, chain free conveyancing. Ickenham is the location of the property. Can you offer any guidance?
Flying freeholds in Ickenham are rare but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside Ickenham you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds diligently. Your bank may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Ickenham may ascertain that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold premises.
Am I right to be suspicious about 3rd parties that I am dealing with are encouraging me to use an internet conveyancing firm rather than a local Ickenham conveyancing firm?
As is the case with lots of professional services, often recommendations from connections can be extremely useful or valuable. Yet there are many players in a conveyancing deal; estate agents, mortgage brokers and banks may recommend conveyancers to select. Sometimes these solicitors might be known to one of the organisations as experts in their field, but sometimes there is an underlying commercial relationship behind the endorsement. You are free to appoint your preferred lawyer. You need to be aware that many lenders specify a panel list of solicitors you are obliged to use for the mortgage related work in your conveyancing.
My conveyancers in Ickenham have advised me that no longer have my conveyancing file. To assist with my purchase I took out a mortgage with the mortgage company. Is it case that being on the mortgage company conveyancing panel they need to have retained the file for a prescribed period?
Different lenders have different requirements but many of the Terms and Conditions of Conveyancing Panel Appointment require the file to be held for a period of 6 years. That being said we have not seen a copy of the lender Conveyancing Panel Terms. It might be worth you contacting the mortgage company directly.