It is 10 years ago since I purchased my property in South West London. Conveyancing lawyers have just been appointed on the sale but I can't find the title deeds. Will this cause complications?
You need not be too concerned. Firstly the deeds may be with your lender or they may stored with the conveyancers who oversaw your purchase. Secondly in most cases the title will be registered at the land registry and you will be able to prove you own the property by your conveyancing lawyers acquiring current official copies of the land registers. The vast majority of conveyancing in South West London involves registered property but in the unlikely event that your property is not registered it adds to the complexity but is not insurmountable.
What is the difference between a licensed conveyancer and conveyancing solicitor in South West London
There are many recorded licenced Conveyancers in South West London and Solicitor partnerships in South West London who can assist with your conveyancing We would stress that the two are supervised by regulatory bodies with both specialising in the legal work in transferring property. Both can handle associated property related work such as remortgage conveyancing, lease extensions and transfer of equity conveyancing.
We previously instructed solicitors based in South West London on the RBS solicitor approved list. They are now charging me a supplemental amount for the legal aspects of the RBS mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee set by RBS?
As unfair as it may seem, as long as it’s in their Terms and Conditions or estimate then yes your lawyer is entitled to charge a fee for this. This fee is not dictated by RBS but by your South West London conveyancing practitioner. Plenty of firms on the RBS panel will charge ’dealing with mortgage’ fee but plenty of firms include it on their overall fee.
My husband and I have organised the release of further monies on our mortgage from Coventry BS as we wish to conduct alterations to our house in South West London. Are we obliged to appoint a local South West London solicitor on the Coventry BS conveyancing panel to handle the legals?
Coventry BS do not ordinarily require 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 Coventry BS list.
Various online forums that I have visited warn that are the primary cause of delay in South West London house deals. Is that correct?
The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) has noted the determinations of research by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not feature amongst the most frequent causes of delays in the conveyancing process. Searches are not likely to feature in any slowing down conveyancing in South West London.
Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to my house can not be found. The solicitors who did the conveyancing in South West London 5 years ago are no longer around. Will I be able to sell the house?
Gone are the days when you need to hold title original deeds to prove you are the owner of your registered land or property, as the Land Registry have everything they need in a digital format.
Due to the advice of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a property in South West London before retaining lawyers. I have been advised that there is a flying freehold aspect to the property. The surveyor has said that some lenders will refuse to give a loan on this type of premises.
It depends who your proposed lender is. Santander has different requirements from Halifax. Should you wish to telephone us we can investigate further with the appropriate lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in South West London. Conveyancing will be smoother if you use a solicitor in South West London especially if they regularly deal with such properties in South West London.
I have been sourcing a conveyancing solicitor in South West London for my remortgage. Is there any facility to see a solicitor's record with the profession’s regulator?
Members of the public can find published Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) determinations arising from investigations from 2008 onwards. Visit Check a solicitor's record. To find records about the period before 1 January 2008, or to check a solicitors record, phone 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and 09.30 - 18.00 Tuesday. For non-uk callers, dial +44 (0)121 329 6800. The SRA may recorded telephone calls for training requirements.