What is the best way to find out if the solicitor handling my conveyancing in Ongar is on the lender’sapproved panel? I am looking to avoid the situation of having one lawyer for me and one for The Mortgage Works thus paying £192.00 in further conveyancing charges.
Please do make use of the search tool on this web page. Pick the lender and type ‘Ongar’ or your preferred area and you will be presented with a number of lawyer located in Ongar or near you.
I have recentlyfound out that Stirling Law have closed. They conducted my conveyancing in Ongar for a purchase of a leasehold flat 18 months ago. How can I establish that the property is registered correctly in the name of the previous owner?
The quickest way to check if the premises is in your name, you can make 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 Ongar conveyancing specialists.
How does conveyancing in Ongar differ for new build properties?
Most buyers of new build premises in Ongar contact us having been asked by the developer to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the property is completed. This is because house builders in Ongar tend to acquire the land, 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 Ongar or who has acted in the same development.
I am looking for a leasehold apartment up to £305k and identified one round the corner in Ongar I like with open areas and station in the vicinity, the downside is that it's only got 52 years on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Ongar in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake buying a lease with such few years left?
If you require a mortgage the shortness of the lease will be an issue. Reduce the offer by the expected lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing owner has owned the premises for a minimum of twenty four months you may request that they start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease term and have £0 ground rent by law. You should speak to your conveyancing solicitor about this matter.
Should I be concerned about brokers that I am dealing with are encouraging me to use a web based conveyancing firm rather than a High Street Ongar conveyancing company?
As with lots of professional services, often recommendations from family and friends can be extremely useful or valuable. Nevertheless there are lots of people with a vested interest in a conveyancing matter; estate agents, financial adviser and banks might all recommend solicitors to select. On occasion these lawyers might be known to one of the organisations as being good in their field, but sometimes there might be a financial incentive behind the endorsement. You have the discretion to choose your preferred conveyancer. However, bear in mind that some banks operate an approved list of lawyers you have to use for the lender aspect of your transaction.
Our conveyancer has advised that he intends to complete and exchange simultaneously on our sale of a £125,000 garden flat in Ongar next week. The managing agents has quoted £396 for Landlord’s certificate, building insurance schedule and previous years service charge statements. Is the landlord entitled to charge such fees for a leasehold conveyance in Ongar?
Ongar conveyancing on leasehold flats normally requires the purchaser’s solicitor sending questions for the landlord to answer. Although the landlord is not legally bound to address these enquiries the majority will be willing to assist. They are entitled to invoice a reasonable charge for answering enquiries or supplying documentation. There is no upper cap for such fees. The average costs for the paperwork that you are referring to is over three hundred pounds, in some cases it exceeds £800. The administration charge invoiced by the landlord must be accompanied by a synopsis of rights and obligations in relation to administration charges, without which the invoice is not strictly payable. In reality you have no choice but to pay whatever is demanded should you wish to complete the sale of your home.
Ongar Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Examples of Queries Prior to Purchasing
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Its a good idea to find out as much as possible about the managing agents as they will affect your use and enjoyment of the property. Being a leasehold owner you are often at the mercy of the managing agents both financially and when it comes to day to day issues such as the cleanliness of the common parts. Enquire of other tenants what they think of them. On a final note, investigate as to the dates that the service fees are due to the relevant party and precisely what you get for your money. Best to be warned if fixing the lift or some other significant cost is due shortly to be shared by the leasehold owners and will dramatically impact the level of the service fees or require a one off payment. How much is the yearly service fee and ground rent?