My property lawyer in South West London is not listed on the Santander Conveyancing Panel. Can I still continue with my family solicitor even though they are not on the Santander panel?
The limited options available to you here include:
- Complete the purchase with your preferred South West London solicitors but Santander will need to retain a conveyancer on their panel. This will result in additional total conveyancing charges as well as result in frustration.
- Choose a new solicitor to to deal with the conveyancing, remembering to check they are Santander approved.
- Persuade your Santander solicitor to attempt to join the Santander panel
We are getting the release of further funds on our home loan from Skipton as we want to carry out a loft conversion to our property in South West London. Do we need to select a bricks and mortar South West London solicitor on the Skipton conveyancing panel to handle the paperwork?
Skipton would not normally appoint firms on their conveyancing panel to handle such a matter. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Skipton panel.
We expect to receive a DIP from Bank of Ireland this week so we can work out what to offer on a property we like as otherwise we are dependent on web based calculators (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do Bank of Ireland recommend any South West London solicitors on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel, or is it better to find our own lawyer?
You will need to appoint South West London solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and Bank of Ireland through the process.
My offer on a semi in South West London has been accepted, the vendors do nevertheless have a dependent purchase. The owners have put an offer on on an apartment, however it’s not been accepted yet, and have viewings of other properties in the pipeline. I have selected a bricks and mortar conveyancing solicitor in South West London. What should be my next step? When do I get the mortgage application with Santander going?
It is normal to have apprehensions where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to be too out of pocket too early (home loan application is approx £1k, then valuation, South West London conveyancing search charges, etc). The first thing to do is check that your conveyancer is on the Santander conveyancing panel. As to the subsequent steps this very much depends on the circumstances of your case, attraction to this property and on the state of the market. During a hot market many buyers would apply for a home loan with Santander and pay for the valuation and only if it comes back ok would they ask their conveyancer to press on with searches.
What does a local search reveal concerning the property my wife and I purchasing in South West London?
South West London conveyancing often commences with the applying for local authority searches directly from your local Authority or through a personal search company for instance PSG The local search is essential in every South West London conveyancing purchase; that is if you don’t want any nasty surprises after you move into your new home. The search should provide data on, amongst other things, details on planning applications relevant to the property (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 subject areas.
five months have elapsed following my purchase conveyancing in South West London concluded. I have checked the Land Registry site which shows that I paid £175,000 when infact I paid £170,000. Why the discrepancy?
The price paid figure is taken from the application to register the purchase. It is the figure included in the Transfer (the legal deed which transfers the property from one person to the other) and referred to as the 'consideration' or purchase price. You can report an error in the price paid figure using the LR online form. In most cases errors result from typos so at first glance the figure. Do report it so they can double check and advise.
How does conveyancing in South West London differ for newly converted properties?
Most buyers of new build property in South West London approach us having been asked by the seller to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the premises is finished. This is because developers in South West London tend to purchase 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 property lawyers 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 South West London or who has acted in the same development.
I’m about to sell my basement apartment in South West London. Conveyancing lawyers have not yet been instructed, but I have recently had a half-yearly maintenance charge demand – what should I do?
Your conveyancing lawyer is likely to suggest that you should pay the invoice as you normally would given that all rents and maintenance invoices should be allotted as part of the financial calculations for completion monies, so you should recover the relevant percentage by the purchaser for the period running from after the completion date to the subsequent invoice date. Most management companies will not acknowledge the buyer until 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. This will smooth the conveyancing process.
I have attempted and failed to negotiate with my landlord for a lease extension without any joy. Can one make an application to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal? Can you recommend a South West London conveyancing firm to act on my behalf?
Absolutely. We can put you in touch with a South West London conveyancing firm who can help.
An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement matter before the tribunal for a South West London residence is 78 & 80 Newport Road in January 2013. the Tribunal concluded that the premium to be paid by the leaseholder in respect of the freehold reversion is £23,105 This case was in relation to 2 flats. The unexpired term as at the valuation date was 71.63 years.