I am expecting a offer of a home loan from Halifax. I intend to enlist the help of a Licensed Conveyancer in Rishton. Does the Halifax Conveyancing panel include Licensed Conveyancers?
The Halifax conveyancing panel is, like many other lenders, represented by the Council or Mortgage Lenders or Building Society Association, open to Licensed Conveyancers regulated by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.
It is is a decade since I bought my house in Rishton. Conveyancing lawyers have now been appointed on the sale but I can't track down my deeds. Is this a major issue?
You need not be too concerned. First there is a possibility that the deeds will be retained by the lender or they could be in the possession of the solicitor who handled your purchase. Secondly the likelihood is that the land will be registered at the land registry and you will be able to prove you are the registered owner by your conveyancing lawyers obtaining up to date copy of the land registers. Nearly all conveyancing in Rishton relates to registered property but in the rare situation where your home is unregistered it is more problematic but is not insurmountable.
Forgive me if this question is silly but I am wet behind the ears as a 1st time purchaser of a garden flat in Rishton. Do I collect the keys to the property on completion from my solicitor? If this is the case, I will use a High Street conveyancing solicitor in Rishton?
There is no need to visit the lawyers office on the day of completion. Your solicitors will arrange to send the purchase money to the vendor’s conveyancers, and once they have received this, you will be called to receive the keys from the Estate Agents and move into your new home. Usually this happens early afternoon.
I have paid off my mortgage with Skipton. I assume I don't need a Rishton conveyancing practitioner on the Skipton panel to remove the mortgage at the Land Registry. Please confirm.
If you have finished paying off your Skipton mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the Skipton mortgage from the register. Skipton, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:
- but are not moving to another property
- where Skipton has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
- Skipton has instructed the Land Registry to do so
I've digested plenty of mortgage guides, I note that they all recommend that you should get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Rishton solicitor - who is on the Santander conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. Is that normal?
Santander will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Santander will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. Your lawyer will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by your Rishton postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Santander, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Rishton.
What can a local search tell me about the property I am purchasing in Rishton?
Rishton conveyancing often starts with the submitting local authority searches directly from your local Authority or through a personal search company for example PSG The local search is essential in every Rishton conveyancing purchase; as long as you don’t want any unpleasant once you have moved into your new home. The search will provide information on, amongst other things, details on planning applications applicable 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 areas.
I have recentlybecome aware that Arc property Solicitors have been shut down. They conducted my conveyancing in Rishton for a purchase of a freehold house 9 months ago. How can I check that the property is in my name in the name of the former proprietor?
The quickest method to see if the property is in your name, you can carry out 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 Rishton conveyancing specialists.
Over the last few months I have been searching for a flat up to £195,000 and identified one near me in Rishton I like with amenity areas and railway links nearby, the downside is that it's only got 52 years on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Rishton for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error buying a short lease?
Should you require a mortgage the remaining unexpired lease term will likely be a potential deal breaker. Discount the offer by the anticipated lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing proprietor has owned the premises for at least twenty four months you can ask them to commence the lease extension formalities and pass it to you. You can add 90 years to the current lease term and have £0 ground rent by law. You should consult your conveyancing lawyer regarding this matter.