We are purchasing a 2 bedroom apartment in St Helens with a mortgage. We have a St Helens lawyer, but the bank says she’s not on their "panel". It seems we have no option but to select one of the lender panel firms or retain our St Helens lawyer and pay for one of their panel firms to represent them. This seems very unfair; is there anything we can do?
No, not really. The mortgage offered to you is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the bank’s conveyancing panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. Another option that might be available is for your St Helens conveyancing lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.
I am due to move property in June. Does my conveyancing solicitor communicate with the removal company on the day of completion. As an aside, can you recommend a removal company in St Helens. Conveyancing solicitor was chosen before I stumbled across this site.
On the afternoon of completion you will need to collect the keys from your estate agent but this can only occur after the sellers solicitors advise the agent that they acknowledge receipt of the completion payment and the keys can be released. Subsequently you should advise the removal company that you are ready to move in. We do not recommend a specific removal company but can help you choose a residential property solicitor in St Helens or a legal practice with expertise in conveyancing in St Helens.
I have been told by my lawyer that absentee landlord insurance is required on my purchase. What is the typical level of cover needed for conveyancing in St Helens?
The right level of absentee landlord indemnity insurance should be dictated by who who your lender is. It would differ for example between Yorkshire Building Society and Leeds Building Society. Conveyancing practitioners as opposed to members of the public take out such insurances.
I was told two weeks ago that my mortgage has been agreed to by Clydesdale. Is it usual for Clydesdale to only issue the offer once my solicitor in St Helens is approved on their conveyancing panel? Clydesdale have asked my solicitor to see a copy of their PI Insurance.
A lender would not issue an offer until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Clydesdale to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.
Just acquired a detached house in St Helens , What is the estimated time for the Land Registry to record the transfer to my name? My St Helens conveyancing solicitor has been painfully slow, so I want to be sure the registration formalities are addressed.
There is nothing unique about conveyancing in St Helens registration formalities. Rather than based on location, timeframes can vary according to who lodges the application, whether there are errors and whether the Land registry have to notify any interested parties. At present in the region of three quarters of submission are fully addressed in less than three weeks but some can be subject to longer delays. Historically registration takes place after the buyer has moved in to the premises thus 'speed' is not usually top priority but if there is a degree of urgency associated with the registration then you or your solicitor can communicate with the Registry to express the reasoning for an expedited registration.
Over the last few months I have been searching for a flat up to £235,500 and found one round the corner in St Helens I like with amenity areas and station nearby, however it only has 51 years on the lease. I can't really find anything else in St Helens suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error acquiring a lease with such few years left?
If you require a home loan the remaining unexpired lease term will be a potential deal breaker. Discount the offer by the anticipated lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the existing owner has owned the property for a minimum of twenty four months you can ask them to commence the lease extension formalities and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor regarding this matter.
We are 17 days into a freehold purchase having been referred to solicitors by the selling agent to perform conveyancing in St Helens. We are not happy. Can you you assist me in finding new solicitors?
They would need to be really bad in order to consider changing them. Has your mortgage offer been issued? In the event that it has you must make them aware of the replacement lawyer and have the offer are re-issued. Your conveyancer needs to be on the banks approved list to avoid added fees and complications. That should be your starting point. Our search tool should help you find a bank approved solicitor for your conveyancing in St Helens
I own a leasehold house in St Helens. Conveyancing and Accord Mortgages Ltd mortgage went though with no issue. I have received a letter from someone claiming to own the freehold. It included a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1991. The conveyancing practitioner in St Helens who acted for me is not around. Do I pay?
The first thing you should do is contact the Land Registry to make sure that the individual purporting to own the freehold is indeed the new freeholder. You do not need to instruct a St Helens conveyancing lawyer to do this as it can be done on-line for a few pound. Rest assured that regardless, even if this is the legitimate freeholder, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.
I invested in buying a leasehold flat in St Helens, conveyancing having been completed half a dozen years ago. Can you let me have an estimate of the premium that my landlord can legally expect in return for granting a renewal of my lease? Comparable properties in St Helens with a long lease are worth £211,000. The ground rent is £50 invoiced every year. The lease comes to an end on 21st October 2094
You have 68 years left to run the likely cost is going to be between £9,500 and £11,000 as well as professional fees.
The suggested premium range above 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 a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be other issues that need to be taken into account and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward based on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.