Why do I have to pay up front for conveyancing in Stratford?
If you are buying a property in Stratford your solicitor will request that you place them with funds to cover the search fees. This will be the total of the cost of the conveyancing searches. When the down payment is payable against the total price then this should be required shortly in advance of contracts are exchanged. The closing balance that is needed should be transferred shortly before completion.
Can you clarify what the consequences are if my lawyer’s firm is removed from the Barclays Solicitor panel ahead of completing my conveyancing in Stratford?
The first thing to point out is that, this is very unlikely to happen. In most cases even where a law firm is removed off of a panel the lender would allow the completion to go ahead as the lender would appreciate the difficulties that they would place you in if you have to instruct a new solicitor days before completion. In a worst case scenario where the lender insists that you instruct a new firm then it is possible for a very good lawyer to expedite the conveyancing albeit that you may pay a significant premium for this. The analogous situation is where a buyer instructs a lawyer, exchanges contracts and the law firm is shut down by a regulator such as the SRA. Again, in this situation you can find lawyers who can troubleshoot their way to bring the conveyancing to a satisfactory conclusion - albeit at a cost.
My wife and I are close to exchanging contracts on the sale of our house in Stratford and the buyers lawyers are claiming that there is a risk of it being constructed land that was not decontaminated. A local conveyancer would know that there is no such problem. It does beg the question why the buyers used a nationwide conveyancing practice as opposed to a conveyancing solicitor in Stratford. Having lived in Stratford for six years we know of no issue. Is it a good idea to get in touch with our local Authority to seek confirmation need.
It sounds as though you may have a conveyancing lawyer currently acting for you. Are they able to advise? You need to check with your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out health insurance to cover that same illness)
Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to my house can not be found. The solicitors who handled the conveyancing in Stratford 4 years ago are no longer around. Will I be able to sell the house?
As long as you have a registered title the information relating to your ownership will be evidenced by the Land Registry with a Title Number. It is easy to carry out a search at the Land Registry, identify your property and secure up to date copies of the property title for a small fee. Where the title is Leasehold then the Land Registry will usually hold a file copy of the Registered Lease and again, a copy can be ordered for a small fee.
I am looking for a leasehold apartment up to £245,000 and identified one round the corner in Stratford I like with a park and transport links nearby, however it only has 61 remaining years left on the lease. There is not much else in Stratford suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error purchasing a short lease?
Should you need a mortgage the shortness of the lease will likely be a potential deal breaker. Discount the price by the anticipated lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the existing owner has owned the premises for at least twenty four months you may 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 speak to your conveyancing lawyer regarding this matter.
How can the Landlord & Tenant Act 1954 impact my business premises in Stratford and how can you help?
The particular law that you refer to gives a safeguard to business lessees, giving them the right to apply to court for a continuation of occupancy when the lease comes to an end. There are certain specified grounds where a landlord can refrain from granting a lease renewal and the rules are involved. Fees are different for commercial conveyancing. Stratford is one of our many areas of the UK in which our lawyers are located