Am I correct in assuming that the fact that my solicitor in Vauxhall is not on my bank's solicitor panel that there is a problem with the standard of her work?
It would be unwise to jump to that conclusion. There are plenty of reasonable explanations. A recent report by the solicitors regulator indicated 76% of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The most common reasons for removal are: (1) low volume of transactions (2) the lawyer is a sole practitioner (3) as part of the HSBC panel reduction (4) regulatory contact by SRA (5) accidental removal. Where you are concerned you should simply call the Vauxhall conveyancing practice and ask them why they are no longer on the approved list for your lender.
Please help. My Vauxhall lawyer is informing me me that he has toconduct Vauxhall conveyancing searches becausethe firm are on the HSBCconveyancing panel. Do I not have any options here?
Unfortunately both you and your lawyer have little choice here. As you are obtaining a home loan with a lender your lawyer has to comply with their conditions as set out in their version of the CML Conveyancing Handbook. Your conveyancing practitioner would have previously signed the Terms and Conditions of your bank’s conveyancing panel appointment which obliges them to follow the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook requirements . Even if you were a cash buyer you would be ill advised not to carry out Vauxhall conveyancing searches.
We note that you have a search directory identifying firms on the Nottingham conveyancing panel. Do companies pay you a referral fee if I instruct them for our own conveyancing in Vauxhall?
We are a listing service only for law firms wishing to communicate if they are on the Nottingham conveyancing panel or other lender panels. We do not charge referral fees to any conveyancer that you subsequently appoint for your conveyancing in Vauxhall.
My partner and I are selling our property in Vauxhall and according to the buyers it appears that there is a possibility that the property was built land that was not decontaminated. Any local lawyer would know this is not the case. For the life of me I don't know why the buyers instructed a factory type conveyancing firm rather than a conveyancing solicitor in Vauxhall. We have lived in Vauxhall for many years we know of no issue. Is it a good idea to contact our local Authority to get confirmation that there is no issue.
It would appear that you have a conveyancing lawyer currently acting for you. Are they able to advise? You should enquire of 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 ailment)
I purchased a 4 bedroom Victorian property in Vauxhall. Conveyancing practitioner acted for me and The Royal Bank of Scotland. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and there are a couple of entries: one for freehold, the second leasehold under the exact same address. Is it worth asking The Royal Bank of Scotland to clarify?
You should review the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register as there may be mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Vauxhall and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they buy they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with mortgage companies. You can also enquire as to the position with your conveyancing practitioner who conducted the conveyancing.
Last January I purchased a leasehold property in Vauxhall. Am I liable to pay service charges relating to a period prior to my ownership?
In a situation where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous owner and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. Strange as it may seem, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. It is an essential part of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to ensure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.
If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).
After months of correspondence we simply can't agree with our landlord on how much the lease extension should cost for our flat in Vauxhall. Can we issue an application to the Residential Property Tribunal Service?
Absolutely. We are happy to put you in touch with a Vauxhall conveyancing firm who can help.
An example of a Lease Extension decision for a Vauxhall flat is Flats 12A & 19, Evelyn Mansions Carlisle Place in June 2009. The Tribunal held that the price to be paid for the new lease of Flat 12A is £168,824, For the other flat the price was set at £169,110 This case was in relation to 2 flats. The number of years remaining on the existing lease(s) was 56 years.