The Lancaster conveyancing lawyers that just started acting on my purchase in Lancaster have without warning shut down. I chose them because I needed a solicitor on the Nottingham conveyancing panel and my family Lancaster lawyer was not. I gave my credit card details for them to take £195 for searches. What do I do now?
If you have an estate agent involved then let them know straight away so that they can let the sellers know that there may be a slight delay due to the problems encountered. Hopefully they will be sympathetic and urge their lawyer to send a new set of papers to your new solicitors. You should appoint new lawyers that are on the Nottingham conveyancing panel and notify the lender. If you have paid over any money, it will hopefully be held by the SRA as money in an intervened firm's bank accounts is transferred to the SRA. Then, the SRA or the intervention agent looks at the intervened firm's accounts to work out who the money belongs to. To claim your money you will need to contact the SRA. If the SRA cannot return money you are owed from the firm's bank accounts, or if they can only return part of the money, you can apply to the Compensation Fund for a grant. Your new lawyers should be in a position to help.
I am assisting my aunt sell her property in Lancaster. Does the conveyancing solicitor commission an energy performance certificate or should I organise this?
Following the abolition of HIPs, energy assessments was retained a compulsory element of selling a property. An energy assessment should be commissioned prior to the property being advertised. This is not something that lawyers normally organise. If you are instructing a Lancaster conveyancing solicitor they might be willing to arrange energy assessments due to their relationships with reputable local energy assessors
I am currently in the process of buying my council flat in Lancaster. I have a mortgage offer with Nottingham. Conveyancing is new to me. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should use one. Any advice?
It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with Nottingham, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Nottingham conveyancing panel.
I am due to exchange contracts on my flat. I had a double glazing fitted in May 2006, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My buyer's mortgage company, Leeds Building Society are being difficult. The Lancaster solicitor who is on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel is happy to accept ‘lack of building regulation’ insurance but Leeds Building Society are requiring a building regulation certificate. Why do Leeds Building Society have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?
It is probably the case that Leeds Building Society have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Leeds Building Society may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing was correctly and safely installed. The indemnity insurance merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.
My colleague advised me that where I am buying in Lancaster I should ask my conveyancer to perform a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. What does it cover?
This is a search is usually included in the estimate for your Lancaster conveyancing searches. It is not a small document of about 40 pages, listing and detailing significant information about Lancaster around the property and the people living there. It includes an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the Lancaster Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the type of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average Property Price, Crime details, Local Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data about Lancaster.
Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly picked up as part of conveyancing in Lancaster?
Covenants that are restrictive in nature can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the process of conveyancing in Lancaster. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’
I opted to have a survey completed on a house in Lancaster in advance of appointing conveyancers. I have been told that there is a flying freehold element to the property. My surveyor advised that some lenders will refuse to give a loan on such a home.
It depends who your proposed lender is. Bank of Scotland has different requirements from Halifax. Should you wish to call us we can look into this further via the appropriate bank. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Lancaster. Conveyancing will be smoother if you use a solicitor in Lancaster especially if they are acquainted with such properties in Lancaster.
I need to find a conveyancing solicitor for leasehold conveyancing in Lancaster. I have chance upon a site which appears to be the perfect offering If it is possible to get all formalities done via email that would be preferable. Do I need to be wary? What should out be looking out for?
As usual with these online conveyancers you need to read ALL the small print - did you notice the extra charge for dealing with the mortgage?