We previously chose solicitors locally in North End on the Leeds Building Society solicitor approved list. They have just billed me a separate fee for the legal aspects of the Leeds Building Society mortgage. Is this a supplemental conveyancing fee set by Leeds Building Society?
Unfortunately, so long as it is in their Terms of Engagement or estimate then yes your lawyer may levy a fee for this. This fee is not dictated by Leeds Building Society but by your North End conveyancing practitioner. Numerous firms on the Leeds Building Society panel will quote ’dealing with mortgage’ fee but plenty of practices incorporate it on their overall fee.
We have agreed to purchase a house in North End. One unusual aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Principality have issued a mortgage offer so presumably this is not a concern to them. Why is my solicitor raising questions about the panel?
As your lender is Principality your lawyer must comply with the conveyancing requirements contained in Section 2 of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Principality. The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook stipulates minimum provisions for solar panel roof-space leases, and conveyancers are required to report to Principality where a lease fails to meet these specifications. The conditions relate to the installation of panels on properties nationwide and is not limited to North End.
Completion of my remortgage has taken place for my property in North End. Conveyancing was a necessary evil but I feel I should register my dissatisfaction about the lender. Who do I contact should I wish to lodge a complaint?
Almost all banks and building societies have complaints procedures. Your first point of contact should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Services Department at head office. Ordinarily complaints to a lender are resolved effectively and efficiently. 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.
What can a local search tell me concerning the house my wife and I purchasing in North End?
North End conveyancing often commences with the submitting local authority searches directly from your local Authority or through a personal search company for example Searchflow The local search is essential in every North End conveyancing purchase; as long as you wish to avoid any unpleasant once you have moved into your property. The search will supply information on, amongst other things, details on planning applications relevant to the premises (whether granted or refused), building control history, any enforcement action, restrictions on permitted development, nearby road schemes, contaminated land and radon gas; in all a total of 13 topic headings.
My wife and I have a semi-detached Georgian house in North End. Conveyancing practitioner acted for me and HSBC Bank. I did a free Land Registry search last week and there are a couple of entries: the first freehold, the second leasehold under the matching address. I thought I was buying a freehold how can I check?
You need to review the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in North End and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they sell they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with purchasers. You can also question the situation with your conveyancing solicitor who carried out the work.
In what way can the Landlord & Tenant Act 1954 affect my business offices in North End and how can your lawyers assist?
The 1954 Act provides a safeguard to business tenants, giving them the dueness to apply to court for a new lease and continue in occupation at the end of the lease term. There are limited grounds where a landlord can refrain from granting a lease renewal and the rules are complicated. We are happy to direct you to commercial conveyancing practices who use the act to your advantage and handle your commercial conveyancing in North End
I've recently bought a leasehold property in North End. Am I liable to pay service charges for periods before my ownership?
Where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous lessee and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. Strange as it may seem, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. A critical element of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to be sure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.
If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).
I am the leaseholder of a basement flat in North End. Given that I can not reach agreement with the landlord, can the Leasehold valuation Tribunal determine the premium due for the purchase of the freehold?
Absolutely. We can put you in touch with a North End conveyancing firm who can help.
An example of a Lease Extension case for a North End flat is Various @ Colombus Square in January 2012. the Tribunal calculated the premiums to be paid for new leases for each of the flats in Mariners Walk to be £3822 and the premium to be paid for the new lease of 2 Knights Court to be £4439. This case affected 13 flats. The number of years remaining on the existing lease(s) was 76 years.
A conveyancing firm handled my conveyancing in North End seven years past having stored my title documents but has now closed – What steps do I now take to get hold of these?
Deeds, as such, no longer exist as the majority of homes in North End are recorded electronically at Land Registry. Where you need to prove ownership or are selling or refinancing your solicitor can obtain up to date copies of the register from the Land Registry in any case.
If you feel there may be other documents or you have any other queries please e-mail your request with details of the transaction and documents you need to filerequest@clc-uk.org. The CLC will let you know what information they have and any additional information they may need before they are in a position to identify and send the documents to you. Following an intervention it may take some time for the CLC to access archived files and documents, but your request will be actioned as quickly as possible.