It is a dozen years since I acquired my property in Wakefield. Conveyancing lawyers have now been instructed on the sale but I am unable to locate the deeds. Will this jeopardise the sale?
Don’t worry too much. Firstly there is a chance that the deeds will be with the lender or they may still be with the conveyancers who acted in the purchase. Secondly in most cases the land will be registered at the land registry and you will be able to establish that you own the property by your conveyancing solicitors procuring up to date copy of the land registers. The vast majority of conveyancing in Wakefield involves registered property but in the rare situation where your home is not registered it is more problematic but is resolvable.
I am being advised by my lawyer that restrictive coveneant insurance is required on my purchase. What is the level of cover for Wakefield conveyancing?
The appropriate level of restrictive coveneant indemnity insurance depends on your lender. It would differ for example between Nationwide Building Society and Virgin Money. Conveyancing practitioners as opposed to members of the public take out such policies.
Is it the case that all Wakefield CQS (Conveyancing Quality Scheme) solicitors are on the Co-operative conveyancing panel?
Some major lenders now utilise the accreditation scheme as the starting point for Panel membership such as HSBC and Santander. The Law Society’s CQS accreditation however gives no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. That being said,the Council of Mortgage Lenders have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for solicitors wishing to join their approved list of firms.
is it true that all Wakefield solicitors on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel are overseen by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority?
As a firm of solicitors, in order to be on the Yorkshire BS approved list of solicitors they would need to be regulated by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority. Some mortgage companies do permit licenced conveyancers on their panel and in such a situation the practice would be governed by the CLC.
How does conveyancing in Wakefield differ for new build properties?
Most buyers of new build property in Wakefield contact us having been asked by the developer to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the premises is built. This is because developers in Wakefield typically acquire the site, 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 conveyancers 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 used to new build conveyancing in Wakefield or who has acted in the same development.
I am looking into buying my first house which is in Wakefield and I am already nervous. I couldn't find anything specific about Wakefield. Conveyancing will be needed in due course but do you know about the Wakefield area? or perhaps some other tips you can share?
Rather than looking online forget looking online you should go and have a look at Wakefield. In the meantime here are some basic statistics that we found
I have recently realised that I have Seventy years left on my flat in Wakefield. I now want to extend my lease but my landlord is missing. What options are available to me?
On the basis that you meet the appropriate requirements, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can submit an application to the County Court for for permission to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will mean that your lease can be granted an extra 90 years by the Court. However, you will be required to prove that you or your lawyers have used your best endeavours to locate the lessor. On the whole a specialist should be helpful to carry out a search and to produce a report which can be accepted by the court as proof that the landlord is indeed missing. It is wise to seek advice from a property lawyer both on investigating the landlord’s disappearance and the vesting order request to the County Court covering Wakefield.
Leasehold Conveyancing in Wakefield - Examples of Questions you should consider before Purchasing
-
The majority of Wakefield leasehold apartments will incur a service bill for the upkeep of the building invoiced by the freeholder. If you buy the property you will have to meet this liability, normally quarterly accross the year. This may be anything from a few hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for buildings with lifts and large common grounds. There will also be a ground rent for you to pay yearly, this is usually not a large amount, say approximately £25-£75 but you need to enquire as on occasion it can be prohibitively expensive. On the whole the cost for major works are not built into the maintenance charges, although a few managing agents in Wakefield obliged leasehold owners to contribute towards a sinking fund created for the specific intention of building a fund for larger works.
I purchased a house in Wakefield last 17/2/2023 and to date it is still not recorded with HMLR. It is part of a development site and my property lawyer told me that it can take twelve months to complete the registration formalities. I have called HMLR directly and they say that the original application was cancelled due to failure to reply to requisitions. What can I do?
Contact your conveyancing practitioner - if you are not getting sensible responses, find out about their firm’s complaints process and amplify your problem to a Partner. Registrations for Wakefield conveyancing are not known to be especially complex.