My previous solicitor has given a fee calculation of £1200 for fixed fee conveyancing in Welwyn Garden City. I’m selling a purpose built detached home for £175,000. Are these conveyancing fees excessive? Is it in excess of what I should be paying for conveyancing in Welwyn Garden City?
The charges are a bit high. If you shop around you may be able to shave off some of the cost by say a hundred pounds. On the other hand, you couldcome to regret choosing an an unknown solicitor. Remember to check the firm can represent your lender. You can make use of our search tool to get a quote a Welwyn Garden City conveyancing practice on the lender’s approved list of lawyers which can often include conveyancing solicitors in Welwyn Garden City.
I have been recommended a conveyancing solicitor in Welwyn Garden City. I I am struggling to find out whether they are accepted on the Chelsea Building Society conveyancing panel. Can you help?
The first thing you should do is contact your solicitor and enquire if they can act for the lender. Alternatively you can call Chelsea Building Society who may be able to confirm.
I am buying a detached bungalow in Welwyn Garden City. Our aim is to carry out an extension to the side at the house.Will legal conveyancing on the property include checks to determine if these alterations were previously refused?
Your conveyancer will check the deeds as conveyancing in Welwyn Garden City will on occasion reveal restrictions in the title documents which prohibit certain works or need the permission of another owner. Certain extensions need local authority planning permissions and approval in compliance with building regulations. Certain locations are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which frequently prevent or impact extensions. It would be prudent to check these issues with a surveyor prior to committing yourself to a purchase.
We were going to get a AIP from Lloyds this week so we know how much we could potentially offer as otherwise we are dependent on web based calculators (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do Lloyds recommend any Welwyn Garden City solicitors on the Lloyds conveyancing panel, or is it better to go independently?
You will need to appoint Welwyn Garden City solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the Lloyds conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and Lloyds through the process.
I recently had an offer agreed on a house in Welwyn Garden City. My financial adviser pressured me to appoint their conveyancer. I paid an advanced payment of £225. Not long after, the conveyancing practitioner contacted me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the Principality conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?
You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Principality panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.
How does conveyancing in Welwyn Garden City differ for newly converted properties?
Most buyers of new build residence in Welwyn Garden City contact us having been asked by the seller to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the property is completed. This is because builders in Welwyn Garden City typically acquire the land, 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 Welwyn Garden City or who has acted in the same development.
Do I need to be suspicious about estate agents that I am dealing with are encouraging me to use a nationwide conveyancing firm rather than a High Street Welwyn Garden City conveyancing company?
As is the case with many service providers, often recommendations from connections can be worth their weight in gold. Yet there are numerous parties with a keen interest in a conveyancing transaction; estate agents, financial adviser and mortgage companies might all suggest conveyancers to retain. Sometimes the lawyers might be known to one of the organisations as one of the best in their field, but sometimes there exists a financial incentive behind the recommendation. You have the discretion to select your own conveyancer. You need to be aware that some mortgage providers specify a panel list of lawyers you must use for the mortgage aspect of your conveyancing.
I've recently bought a leasehold flat in Welwyn Garden City. Do I have any liability for service charges for periods before completion of my purchase?
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. However, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. A critical element of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to be sure 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).
Welwyn Garden City Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - A selection of Queries before Purchasing
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Who are the managing agents? If a Welwyn Garden City lease has fewer than eighty years it will have adverse implications on the salability of the flat. Check with your lender that they are willing to go ahead with the loan given the lease term. Leases with fewer than 80 years remaining means that you will probably require a lease extension sooner rather than later and you need to have some idea of how much this will be. For most Welwyn Garden Citylease extensions you would be be obliged to have owned the property for 24 months before you are entitled to carry out a lease extension. Is anyone aware of any major works in the near future that will add a premium to the service fees?