Much to our surprise we have been told by our financial adviser that my Victoria lawyer is not on the bank Conveyancing panel. What can I do to be sure if this is correct?
The first thing you need to do is to contact your Victoria conveyancer. It is reasonable to expect your lawyer to advise you of the situation. Where they are not on the panel they may be able to suggest a Victoria conveyancing firm that is on the approved list of lawyers for your bank.
My nephew is in the process of securing a newly built flat in Victoria with a home loan from Coventry BS. His lawyer has advised him of a delay in receiving the ‘Disclosure of Incentive Form’. This document is news to me - what is it and who needs sight of it?
The document is intended to provide information to the main parties engaged in the purchase. Therefore, it will be provided to your son’s lawyer who should be on the Coventry BS conveyancing panel as a standard part of the process, and to the surveyor when requested. The developer will be required to start the process by downloading the form and completing it. The form will therefore need to be available for the valuer at the time of his or her site visit. The form should be sent to the Coventry BS conveyancing panel solicitor as early as possible, in order to avoid any last minute delays, and no later than at exchange of contracts.
Is it correct that all Victoria CQS (Conveyancing Quality Scheme) solicitors are on the Nationwide conveyancing panel?
Some major lenders now make use of CQS as the starting point for Panel approval such as HSBC and Santander. The Law Society’s CQS membership however gives no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. Nevertheless,the CML have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for solicitor practices wishing to join their approved list of conveyancing solicitors.
I have paid off my mortgage with Barclays. I assume I don't need a Victoria conveyancer on the Barclays panel to remove the mortgage at the Land Registry. Please confirm.
If you have finished paying off your Barclays mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the Barclays mortgage from the register. Barclays, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:
- but are not moving to another property
- where Barclays has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
- Barclays has instructed the Land Registry to do so
I have decided to exercise my right to buy my property in Victoria off the council. I have a mortgage offer with UBS. Conveyancing is not something I have any knowledge of. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should have one. Any advice?
It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with UBS, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the UBS conveyancing panel.
Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly identified during conveyancing in Victoria?
Restrictive covenants can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the legal transfer of property in Victoria. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’
Just had an offer accepted on a new build apartment in Victoria. Conveyancing is necessary evil at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. What sort of enquires would be asked in new build legal work.
Set out below are examples of a selection of leasehold new build enquiries that you should expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Victoria
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If there are lifts in the building, please confirm that the owners of flats on the ground and basement floors will not be required to contribute towards the cost of maintenance and renewal. There must be mutual enforceability of lessee’s covenants. Investor purchasers must be able to freely grant unsecured tenancies at market rents without requiring any consents. The Vendor must covenant to keep unsold units in good repair until long leases are granted therefore.
I am thinking of appointing a conveyancing lawyer in Victoria for my purchase. Is it possible to review a solicitor's record with the profession’s regulator?
One can search for documented Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) decisions resulting from investigations commenced on or after 1 January 2008. Go to Check a solicitor's record. For details Pre 2008, or to check a solicitors history, phone 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and 09.30 - 18.00 Tuesday. International callers, call +44 (0)121 329 6800. The regulator sometimes monitor call for training reasons.