We are purchasing a house and require a conveyancing solicitor in Strood who is on the UBS approved panel. Could you point me in the right direction as regards a solicitor?
Our service is limited to being a directory service for firms who wish to be listed as being on the approved conveyancing panel for UBS . We don't recommend any particular firms conducting conveyancing in Strood.
I am assisting my aunt sell her flat in Strood. Will the conveyancing solicitor order an energy assessment or do I organise this?
After the abolition of Home Packs, energy assessments remained a compulsory component of moving house. An energy assessment must be commissioned before the property is marketed. This is not as aspect of the sale process that law firms ordinarily organise. If you are instructing a Strood conveyancing lawyer they might help arrange energy assessments given their relationships with reputable Strood energy assessors
I had a mortgage agreed in principle with Nationwide. Strood conveyancing practitioners have been chosen. What is the average time that one could expect to receive a mortgage offer from Nationwide?
There is no definitive answer here. Have Nationwide conducted the valuation? Have you advised Nationwide as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the Nationwide conveyancing panel? It is not unusual for a mortgage offer to take a month to come through.
The mortgage over my property is with Co-operative for my property in Strood. Conveyancing was finalised some time ago. In the event that I decide to rent out my property and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a BTL mortgage or inform Co-operative?
Your original mortgage agreement with Co-operative will provide that you need their approval before renting your property as this is likely to be a breach of Co-operative’s mortgage conditions. In many cases banks or building societies will permit you to let out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact Co-operative directly. It should not be necessary to do this via a Co-operative conveyancing panel firm.
A relative advised me that where I am purchasing in Strood I should ask my conveyancer to execute a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?
This is a search is sometimes included in the estimate for your Strood conveyancing searches. It is not a small report of more than thirty pages, listing and detailing important information about Strood around the property and the people living there. It incorporates an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the local Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the demographics of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average Property Price, Crime statistics, Local Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful information regarding Strood.
How does conveyancing in Strood differ for newly converted properties?
Most buyers of new build or newly converted property in Strood contact us having been asked by the builder to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the house is finished. This is because house builders in Strood typically purchase the real estate, 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 Strood or who has acted in the same development.
Should I use a Strood conveyancing practitioner who is local to the property I am hoping to buy? An old friend can deal with the legal work however they are based 200kilometers drive away.
The primary upside of using a high street Strood conveyancing firm is that you can drop in to execute documents, deliver your ID and pester them where appropriate. Having local Strood know how is a bonus. That being said nothing is more important than finding someone that will pull out all the stops for you. If other friends have instructed your friend and on the whole were content that must outweigh using an unfamiliar Strood conveyancing lawyer just because they are Strood based.
I am an executor of my recently deceased mum’s Will, with a house in Strood which is to be marketed. The house has never been registered at the Land Registry and I'm advised that many EAs will insist that it is done before they'll move forward. What's the mechanism for this?
In the situation you refer to it seems prudent to apply to register in the names of the personal representative(s) as named in the probate and in their capacity as PRs. The Land Registry’s online guidance explains how to register for the first time and what is required re the deeds and forms. You would need to include and certified copy of the probate as well and complete the form FR1 to refer to the PRs as the applicant.