AssumingI were to buy a freehold propertyin Sevenoaks mortgage fee and have no survey and no local authority searches how much could I expect to have to pay for conveyancing in Sevenoaks?
The only reduction in fees you would achieve is the disbursement for searches. The property lawyer still be obliged to do everything else - money laundering, communicating with your sellers conveyancing practitioner, SDLT submission, register the title etc. You might save a bit for them not needing to register a charge but it will not be significant.
I have decided to exercise my right to buy my property in Sevenoaks off the council. I have a mortgage agreed with Virgin Money. Conveyancing is new to me. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should use one. Any advice?
It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with Virgin Money, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel.
I recently had an offer accepted on a house in Sevenoaks. My financial adviser recommended their conveyancers. I paid an on account payment of £200. A few days later, the conveyancer contacted me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the TSB conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?
You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the TSB panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.
I am selling my flat. I had a double glazing fitted in December 2010, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My buyer's mortgage company, Bank of Ireland are being pedantic. The Sevenoaks solicitor who is on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel is recommending indemnity insurance as a solution but Bank of Ireland are insisting on a building regulation certificate. Why do Bank of Ireland have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?
It is probably the case that Bank of Ireland have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Bank of Ireland may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing was correctly and safely installed. The indemnity insurance merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.
Various internet forums that I have frequented warn that are a common cause of delay in Sevenoaks conveyancing transactions. Is this right?
The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) released determinations of a review by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not figure within the common causes of hindrances during the legal transfer of property. Searches are not likely to feature in any delay in conveyancing in Sevenoaks.
Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly picked up during conveyancing in Sevenoaks?
Restrictive covenants can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the legal transfer of property in Sevenoaks. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’
Due to the encouragement of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a property in Sevenoaks before instructing conveyancers. I have been told that there is a flying freehold overhang to the house. The surveyor advised that some banks may not give a mortgage on this type of premises.
It varies from the lender to lender. HSBC has different instructions from Birmingham Midshires. If you contact us we can check with the relevant bank. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Sevenoaks. Conveyancing can be more complicated and therefore you should check with your conveyancing solicitor in Sevenoaks to see if the conveyancing costs will increase in light of this.
Having had my offer accepted I require leasehold conveyancing in Sevenoaks. Before I get started I require certainty as to the remaining lease term.
If the lease is registered - and 99.9% are in Sevenoaks - then the leasehold title will always include the short particulars of the lease, namely the date; the term; and the original parties. From a conveyancing perspective such details then enable any prospective buyer and lender to confirm that any lease they are looking at is the one relevant to that title. For any other purpose, such as confirming how long the term was granted for and calculating what is left, then the register should be sufficient on it's own.
Sevenoaks Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Sample of Questions you should ask before Purchasing
-
It is important to be aware whether redecorating or some other major work is coming up to be shared amongst the leaseholders and could well materially impact the level of the maintenance charges or require a specific payment. The majority of Sevenoaks leasehold flats will be liable to pay a service bill for maintenance of the block invoiced by the management company. Where you purchase the flat you will have to pay this contribution, normally quarterly throughout the year. This can be anything from a couple of hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for buildings with lifts and large common grounds. In all likelihood there will be a rentcharge for you to pay yearly, this is usually not a large amount, say about £50-£100 but you should to enquire it because on occasion it could be many hundreds of pounds.