The sellers of the property we are purchasing have instructed a conveyancing firm in Kingsbridge who has insisted on a preliminary agreement with a deposit two thousand pounds. Is it wise to enter into such agreements?
This form of contract isn't common in Kingsbridge, conveyancers are not keen on them as they detract from the primary objective, namely conveyancing and if you end up losing your deposit then the solicitor is left exposed. Furthermore, there is no assurance that just because the proprietor has signed an exclusivity agreement they will complete the sale with you. They may be motivated to break the agreement if they receive a large enough offer to do so because an aggrieved claimant with the benefit of a lockout agreement will still be legally obliged to establish consequential losses from the breach and these may not equalise the financial upside that your seller may obtain by breaching the contract, no matter how morally unworthy it undoubtedly is.
At what point does exchange of contracts occur in domestic conveyancing in Kingsbridge and am I required to be at the lawyers branch?
Where you are near to our conveyancing solicitors in Kingsbridge you are welcome to come in to sign the paperwork. That being said, the firms we work with supply a countrywide conveyancing service and provide just as detailed and professional a job for you when dealing with you electronically. The executing of the contract is not the critical part. Signing on the dotted line is necessary for the conveyancer to exchange contracts when the time is right, which will usually be very shortly after signing. The procedure is is usually a five minute process, although where an extended "chain" is in the mix, since the process requires the relevant party's solicitor (not necessarily a conveyancing solicitor in Kingsbridge)to be in the office available at the end of the phone to exchange contracts.
My Conveyancer in Kingsbridge is not on the Aldermore Approved Panel. Is it possible for me to use my prefered solicitor notwithstanding that they are not on the Aldermore panel?
Your options are as follows:
- Carry on with your preferred Kingsbridge solicitors but Aldermore will need to instruct a solicitor on their list of acceptable firms. This will inevitably rack up the total legal charges and cause frustration.
- Choose an alternative practitioner to to deal with the conveyancing, not forgetting to check they are Aldermore approved.
- Persuade your Aldermore based solicitor to try to join the Aldermore panel
Will our conveyancer be raising questions concerning flooding as part of the conveyancing in Kingsbridge.
Flooding is a growing risk for lawyers specialising in conveyancing in Kingsbridge. Plenty of people will acquire a house in Kingsbridge, fully aware that at some time, it may be flooded. However, leaving to one side the physical damage, if a property is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to get a mortgage, suitable building insurance, or sell the premises. Steps can be carried out as part of the conveyancing process to forewarn the purchaser.
Lawyers are not qualified to impart advice on flood risk, but there are a various checks that can be initiated by the buyer or by their lawyers which should give them a better understanding of the risks in Kingsbridge. The conventional set of completed inquiry forms given to a purchaser’s solicitor (where the Conveyancing Protocol is adopted) incorporates a usual inquiry of the seller to determine whether the property has suffered from flooding. In the event that the premises has been flooded in past and is not disclosed by the vendor, then a purchaser may bring a claim for damages as a result of such an inaccurate answer. A buyer’s conveyancers will also order an enviro report. This will higlight whether there is a recorded flood risk. If so, more detailed inquiries should be made.
I have justfound out that Stirling Law have closed. They carried out my conveyancing in Kingsbridge for a purchase of a leasehold flat 12 months ago. How can I be sure that the property is not still registered in the name of the previous owner?
The quickest method to check if the property is registered to you, you can carry out a search of the land registry (£3.00). You can either do this yourself or ask a law firm to do this for you. If you are not registered you can seek help from one of a number of Kingsbridge conveyancing specialists.
Should I go with a Kingsbridge conveyancing practitioner based in the area that I am buying? I have an old university friend who can deal with the legal work however his firm is located 200kilometers drive away.
The benefit of a high street Kingsbridge conveyancing firm is that you can pop in to sign paperwork, hand in your identification documents and apply pressure on them if necessary. Having local Kingsbridge know how is a benefit. That being said it's more important to get someone that will do a good and efficient job. If you know people who used your friend and in the main were content that should trump using an unfamiliar Kingsbridge conveyancing solicitor just because they are Kingsbridge based.