The Seaham conveyancing firm that just started acting on my purchase in Seaham have suddenly closed. I chose them because I needed a solicitor on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel and my previous Seaham lawyer was not. I gave my credit card details for them to take one hundred and fifty pounds for searches. What should be my next steps?
If you have an estate agent involved then let them know immediately so that they can let the sellers know that there may be a slight delay due to reasons beyond your control. Hopefully they will be sympathetic and urge their lawyer to send a new set of papers to your new solicitors. You should appoint new lawyers that are on the Virgin Money 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 solicitors should be in a position to help.
We are purchasing a flat in Seaham. I might seem paranoid but how we can trust a lawyer? On the day of competition we will need to put funds into their account. What is the protection we have from them run away with our money?
Be assured that all money in a Solicitors client account is 100% safe, and even if your Solicitor ran off with it, the Law Society would reimburse you fully.
My aunt informed me that in buying a property in Seaham there may be a number of restrictions as to what one can do in terms of external alterations to a property. Is this right?
We are aware of anumerous of properties in Seaham which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to external alterations. Part of the conveyancing in Seaham should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.
We had instructed conveyancing lawyers based in Seaham on the Coventry BS solicitor approved list. They have just invoiced me a supplemental fee for handling the Coventry BS mortgage. Is this a supplemental conveyancing fee specified by Coventry BS?
As unfair as it may seem, as long as it’s in their Terms and Conditions or estimate then yes your lawyer may levy a fee for this. The charge is not dictated by Coventry BS but by your Seaham conveyancing practitioner. Plenty of firms on the Coventry BS panel will quote an ‘acting for lender’ fee but some firms incorporate it on their overall fee.
Should my solicitor be raising enquiries about flooding as part of the conveyancing in Seaham.
Flooding is a growing risk for lawyers specialising in conveyancing in Seaham. There are those who buy a house in Seaham, fully expectant that at some time, it may be flooded. However, leaving to one side the physical damage, where a property is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to get a mortgage, satisfactory building insurance, or dispose of the premises. Steps can be carried out during the course of a property purchase to forewarn the buyer.
Solicitors are not qualified to impart advice on flood risk, however there are a number of checks that may be carried out by the purchaser or by their lawyers which will figure out the risks in Seaham. The standard information sent to a buyer’s conveyancer (where the solicitors are adopting what is known as the Conveyancing Protocol) includes a usual question of the owner to find out whether the premises has historically flooded. In the event that flooding has previously occurred and is not disclosed by the vendor, then a buyer could commence a compensation claim as a result of such an inaccurate response. A buyer’s solicitors should also order an environmental search. This will reveal if there is a recorded flood risk. If so, more detailed inquiries should be carried out.
I am thinking of appointing a conveyancing lawyer in Seaham for my house move. Is there any facility to check a solicitor's complaints history with the legal regulator?
Members of the public may read published Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) determinations arising from inquisitions commenced on or after 1 January 2008. Visit Check a solicitor's record. For information Pre 2008, or to check a solicitors history, phone 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 any week day save for Tuesday when lines open at 9.30am. For non-uk callers, dial +44 (0)121 329 6800. The regulator sometimes monitor call for training reasons.
I’m about to sell my ground floor apartment in Seaham. Conveyancing solicitors are to be appointed soon, but I have recently had a yearly maintenance charge demand – what should I do?
The sensible thing to do is clear the maintenance contribution as you normally would given that all ground rent and maintenance payments will be apportioned as part of the financial calculations for completion monies, so you will be reimbursed by the purchaser for the period running from after the completion date to the subsequent invoice date. Most managing agents will not acknowledge the buyer unless the service charges have been paid and are up to date, so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. Having a clear account will assist your cause and will leave you no worse off financially.
I acquired a basement flat in Seaham, conveyancing formalities finalised half a dozen years ago. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Similar flats in Seaham with an extended lease are worth £206,000. The ground rent is £45 per annum. The lease runs out on 21st October 2086
You have 66 years remaining on your lease we estimate the price of your lease extension to span between £11,400 and £13,200 as well as legals.
The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure in the absence of detailed investigations. You should not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt other issues that need to be considered and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not take any other action based on this information before getting professional advice.
I pay a service charge for my property in Seaham. Due to losing my job and other issues I fell into arrears with remittance. The freeholders agreed a settlement schedule but there remains a couple of due to be paid.
I am under pressure to dispose of the property and I am concerned this will hold me back if I have to pay off the amount due in advance. I'd like to sell up and then pay them back with the proceeds - is this possible?
It would be wise to check with the solicitor conducting your Seaham conveyancing but one option might be to arrange for the debt to be passed to the buyers. The final price due would be adjusted to reflect the amount of debt they take on. They could then pay the arrears once they are the owners.