The Scarborough conveyancing solicitors that I appointed last week on my purchase in Scarborough have suddenly closed. I chose them because I had to have a solicitor on the Nottingham conveyancing panel and my family Scarborough lawyer was not. I paid them money on account. What should be my next steps?
Assuming that you have an Estate Agent in the equation then let them know immediately so that they advise the vendors that there may be a slight delay due to the problems encountered. Hopefully they will be sympathetic and urge their lawyer to send a new set of papers to your new solicitors. You will need to appoint new lawyers that are on the Nottingham conveyancing panel and notify the lender. If you have paid over any money, it will hopefully be held by the SRA as money in an intervened firm's bank accounts is transferred to the SRA. Then, the SRA or the intervention agent looks at the intervened firm's accounts to work out who the money belongs to. To claim your money you will need to contact the SRA. If the SRA cannot return money you are owed from the firm's bank accounts, or if they can only return part of the money, you can apply to the Compensation Fund for a grant. Your new lawyers may be able to assist.
is it true that all Scarborough conveyancing solicitors on the Skipton conveyancing panel are overseen by the SRA?
As a firm of solicitors, in order to be on the Skipton conveyancing panel they would need to be overseen by the SRA. The majority of banks do list licenced conveyancers on their panel in which case such firms would be regulated by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.
We previously selected conveyancers with offices in Scarborough on the Virgin Money solicitor panel. They are now charging me a supplemental charge for the legal aspects of the Virgin Money mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee specified by Virgin Money?
Provided it is contained in their Terms of Engagement or Quote then yes your property lawyer may levy a fee for this. The fee is not dictated by Virgin Money but by your Scarborough lawyer. Plenty of firms on the Virgin Money panel will charge an ‘acting for lender’ fee and others do not.
I've read lots of mortgage guides, I note that it is considered advisable to get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Scarborough solicitor - who is on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. is that correct?
Kent Reliance will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Kent Reliance 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. You may wish to consider appointing your own Scarborough surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller.
Will commercial conveyancing searches reveal proposed roadworks that may affect a commercial land in Scarborough?
Its becoming the norm that commercial conveyancing solicitors in Scarborough will perform a SiteSolutions Highways report as it reduces the time that conveyancers expend in researching accurate data on highways that impact buildings and development assets in Scarborough. The report sets out definitive data on the adoption status of roads, footpaths and verges, as well as the implication of traffic schemes and the rights of way surrounding a commercial development sites in Scarborough.
For every commercial conveyancing transaction in Scarborough it is crucial to investigate the adoption status of roads surrounding a site. Failure to identify developments where adoption procedures have not been dealt with adequately could cause delays to Scarborough commercial conveyancing deals as well as present a risk to future intentions for the site. These searches are not conducted for residential conveyancing in Scarborough.
Me and my brother purchased a semi-detached Victorian property in Scarborough. Conveyancing solicitor acted for me and Alliance & Leicester . I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and I saw a couple of entries: the first freehold, the second leasehold with the exact same property. I'd like to know for sure, how can I find out??
You should read the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register as there may be 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 Scarborough and other areas of 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 mortgage companies. You can also question the situation with your conveyancing practitioner who conducted the conveyancing.
I am buying my first flat in Scarborough with the aid of help to buy. The builders would not budge the price so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of additionals instead. The sale representative advised me not reveal to my lawyer about the side-deal as it could put at risk my mortgage with the lender. Do I keep my lawyer in the dark?.
All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the developer of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.
Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.
Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.
Last August I purchased a leasehold house in Scarborough. Am I liable to pay service charges for periods before completion of my purchase?
In a situation where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous owner and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. However, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. It is an essential part of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to ensure 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 bought a 1st floor flat in Scarborough, conveyancing formalities finalised in 2006. Can you let me have an estimated range of the fair premium for a lease extension? Equivalent flats in Scarborough with a long lease are worth £170,000. The ground rent is £50 yearly. The lease expires on 21st October 2104
With 78 years remaining on your lease we estimate the price of your lease extension to be between £7,600 and £8,800 plus professional fees.
The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to provide the actual costs without more comprehensive due diligence. Do not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt other issues that need to be considered and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not move forward placing reliance on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.