The mortgage over my property is with UBS for my property in Maidstone. Conveyancing was finalised a year ago. Should I wish to rent out my property and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a buy-to-let mortgage or inform UBS?
UBS must be informed of your intention in advance of letting out your property as this is likely to be a breach of UBS’s mortgage conditions. In many cases banks or building societies will allow you to rent out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact UBS directly. It should not be necessary to do this via a UBS conveyancing panel lawyer.
After months of negotiation I have agreed a price on an apartment in Maidstone. My financial adviser pressured me to appoint their conveyancer. I paid an advanced payment of £225. Soon after, the conveyancing practitioner called me to say that they were not on the Skipton conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?
You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Skipton panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.
I am due to exchange contracts on my house. I had a double glazing fitted in July 2007, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My purchaser’s lender, Santander are being a right pain. The Maidstone solicitor who is on the Santander conveyancing panel is recommending indemnity insurance as a solution but Santander are insisting on a building regulation certificate. Why do Santander have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?
It is probably the case that Santander have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Santander 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.
How does conveyancing in Maidstone differ for new build properties?
Most buyers of new build property in Maidstone approach us having been asked by the developer to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the residence is finished. This is because new home sellers in Maidstone usually purchase the real estate, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct conveyancers as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are accustomed to new build conveyancing in Maidstone or who has acted in the same development.
Due to the guidance of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a house in Maidstone prior to appointing conveyancers. I have been told that there is a flying freehold element to the property. The surveyor advised that some mortgage companies tend not grant a loan on such a home.
It depends who your proposed lender is. HSBC has different requirements from Halifax. Should you wish to telephone us we can investigate further with the relevant lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Maidstone. Conveyancing will be smoother if you use a solicitor in Maidstone especially if they are acquainted with such properties in Maidstone.
Taking into account that I will soon part with £400,000 on a garden flat in Maidstone I would like to have a conversation with the solicitor regarding thehouse move prior to giving the go ahead to the firm. Is this something that you can arrange?
We could not agree more - it is our preference to talk to you we do not take any clients on without you first talking to the lawyer due to be carrying out your conveyancing in Maidstone.There is no ‘factory style conveyancing’ - each client is unique person, not a matter reference. The solicitors that we put you in touch with believe that the fees you are provided with for residential conveyancing in Maidstone should be the amount on the final invoice that you are charged.
Am I better off to instruct a Maidstone conveyancing lawyer based in the location that I am purchasing? We have a good friend who can perform the conveyancing however his firm is located a couple of hundredmiles away.
The primary upside of using a high street Maidstone conveyancing firm is that you can visit the firm to sign paperwork, present your ID and pester them if necessary. They will also have local knowledge which is a benefit. However it's more important to get someone that will pull out all the stops for you. If if people you trust used your friend and on the whole were happy that should surpass using an unknown Maidstone conveyancing solicitor just because they are based in the area.
I require the services of a lender panel solicitor in Maidstone. Could you help me?
Unfortunately it’s not apparent why you need a Maidstone panel solicitor but in any event, if you can not find one on our search tool you will need to speak directly to the bank to find out which solicitors in Maidstone are on their panel . If you do find such a firm in Maidstone not listed please direct them to our site to list. At a fee of one pound per month it is not expensive to register on the site