The owners of the property we are looking to purchase are using a conveyancing practitioner in Newcastle upon Tyne who has insisted on a preliminary contract with a deposit of 5k. Is it wise to enter into such agreements?
There are a couple of primary concerns with executing a lock out agreement (sometimes referred to as a shut-out contract) is that it takes away the focus from progressing with the conveyancing work, so in the absence of it needing minimal or no negotiation then it may transpire to be a cause of frustration and delay. It is not strongly advocated by Newcastle upon Tyne conveyancing solicitors as a result. The other main issue is the extent of the remedies available - a jilted purchaser is not likely to win an injunctive ruling by a court to stop the seller disposing of the property to another buyer, so the only remedy available under the contract will be the reimbursement of wasted costs and, in restricted circumstances, the additional payment of damages.
We note that you have a post code search directory identifying law firms on the Principality conveyancing panel. Do firms pay you a referral fee if I instruct them for our conveyancing in Newcastle upon Tyne?
We are a listing service only for law firms wishing to communicate if they are on the Principality conveyancing panel or other lender panels. We do not charge referral fees to any conveyancer that you subsequently appoint for your conveyancing in Newcastle upon Tyne.
What is your number one tip for choosing a conveyancing solicitor in Newcastle upon Tyne
We would encourage you not to go for the cheapest Newcastle upon Tyne conveyancing fees. You really do get what you pay for when it comes to conveyancing solicitors. A cheap quote may mean that the conveyancing solicitor is handling a lot of jobs at one time and you won’t get the quality of service and the attention that you need. It is, however, wise to use a conveyancer who has a fixed fee on a no sale, no fee basis. This way, you know exactly what you’ll have to pay in advance.
My lawyer has informed me that absentee landlord insurance is necessary on my purchase. What is the level of cover for Newcastle upon Tyne conveyancing?
The right level of absentee landlord indemnity insurance depends on your lender. It would differ for example between Halifax and Skipton Building Society. Conveyancing practitioners as opposed to borrowers take out such insurances.
Completion of my remortgage has taken place for my property in Newcastle upon Tyne. Conveyancing was a necessary evil but I feel I should register my dissatisfaction about the lender. How do I make a complaint?
Most banks and building societies have complaints procedures. Your first point of contact should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Care Department at head office. Ordinarily complaints to a lender are resolved very quickly. If you feel the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service, South Quay Plaza, 183 Marsh Wall, London E14 9SR with full details of your complaint.
A colleague recommended that where I am purchasing in Newcastle upon Tyne I should ask my conveyancer to perform a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. What does it cover?
A search of this type is usually quoted for as part of the standard Newcastle upon Tyne conveyancing searches. It is not a small report of more than thirty pages, listing and detailing important information about Newcastle upon Tyne around the property and the people living there. It includes an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the local Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the demographics of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average Property Price, Crime statistics, Newcastle upon Tyne Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data concerning Newcastle upon Tyne.
Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to my home can not be found. The lawyers who did the conveyancing in Newcastle upon Tyne 4 years ago are no longer around. What are my next steps?
Assuming you have a registered title the details of your proprietorship will be held by the Land Registry under a Title Number. It is possible to carry out a search at the Land Registry, locate your house and get current copies of the Registered Entries for less than a fiver. If the title is Leasehold then the Land Registry will also normally retain a file duplicate of the Registered Lease and again, a copy can be ordered for £20 inclusive of VAT.
The lawyers carrying out our conveyancing in Newcastle upon Tyne has sent documents to review that show the property is unregistered with epitome documents. Why is the property not registred at HMLR?
Whilst most properties in Newcastle upon Tyne are now registered with HMLR there are still some that remain unregistered. Any property in Newcastle upon Tyne that has been transferred since the late 1980’s will have been registered at the HMLR under the compulsory ‘first registration’ scheme. However, if a Newcastle upon Tyne property has not changed hands in that time then it’s likely the old fashioned title deeds will be the only evidence of ownership.Plenty of Newcastle upon Tyne conveyancing solicitors should be able to handle this type of conveyancing but where uncertainty prevails the prevailing advice presently is for the seller’s conveyancer to register the title first and thereafter sell - this undoubtedly cause a drawn-out home move.