My IFA has requested my West Malling law firm’s panel member for the Santander conveyancing panel. Can you suggest how I find this out. I have called my local West Malling branch but they cant find it on their system.
You are best placed to get this information from your West Malling property lawyer . Most West Malling conveyancing firms will retain a file or database of lender panel information which would include, if applicable, their conveyancing panel details for each bank.
Forgive me if this question is silly but I am wet behind the ears as FTB of a ground floor flat in West Malling. Do I receive the keys to the house on completion from my solicitor? If so, I will instruct a local conveyancing solicitor in West Malling?
There is no need to visit the lawyers office on the day of completion. Your solicitors will electronically transfer the completion advance to the vendor’s lawyers, and once they have received this, you should be able to receive the keys from the property Agents and start moving into the property. Usually this happens early afternoon.
is it true that all West Malling solicitor practices on the Aldermore conveyancing panel are governed by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority?
As solicitors, in order to be on the Aldermore conveyancing panel they would need to be governed by the SRA. Many lenders do allow licenced conveyancers on their panel in which case such organisation would be governed by the CLC.
At last I have had an offer on a flat in West Malling agreed to, the owners do nevertheless have a connected purchase. The owners have put an offer on a property, but it’s not yet agreed to, and are looking at other flats in the pipeline. I have chosen a local conveyancing solicitor in West Malling. What do I do now? When should I get the mortgage application with Co-operative started?
It is normal to have apprehensions where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to incur expenses prematurely (mortgage application is approx £1k, then valuation, West Malling conveyancing search fees, etc). First, you must check that your conveyancing practitioner is on the Co-operative approved list. Concerning the next stages this very much dictated by the specifics of your transaction, motivation for this property and on the state of the market. In a buoyant market the majority of buyers will apply for a home loan with Co-operative and arrange for the valuation and only if it was satisfactory would they ask their property lawyer to proceed with searches.
What does a local search tell me about the house I am buying in West Malling?
West Malling conveyancing often starts with the submitting local authority searches directly from your local Authority or through a personal search company for instance Searchflow The local search plays an important part in most West Malling conveyancing purchase; as long as you wish to avoid any unpleasant surprises after you move into your property. The search will reveal information on, amongst other things, details on planning applications applicable to the property (whether granted or refused), building control history, any enforcement action, restrictions on permitted development, nearby road schemes, contaminated land and radon gas; in all a total of thirteen topic headings.
five months have elapsed since my purchase conveyancing in West Malling took place. I have checked the Land Registry site which shows that I paid £150,000 when infact I paid £180,000. Why the discrepancy?
The price paid figure is taken from the application to register the purchase. It is the figure included in the Transfer (the legal deed which transfers the asset from one person to the other) and referred to as the 'consideration' or purchase price. You can report an error in the price paid figure using the LR online form. In most cases errors result from typos so at first glance the figure. Do report it so they can double check and advise.
How does conveyancing in West Malling differ for new build properties?
Most buyers of new build premises in West Malling come to us having been asked by the housebuilder to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the residence is ready to move into. This is because house builders in West Malling usually buy 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 conveyancing solicitors 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 West Malling or who has acted in the same development.
I work for a reputable estate agency in West Malling where we see a few leasehold sales put at risk due to short leases. I have been given conflicting advice from local West Malling conveyancing firms. Can you confirm whether the vendor of a flat can instigate the lease extension formalities for the buyer?
Provided that the seller has been the owner for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to commence the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. The benefit of this is that the proposed purchaser need not have to sit tight for 2 years for a lease extension. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment needs to be completed before, or simultaneously with completion of the disposal of the property.
Alternatively, it may be possible to agree the lease extension with the freeholder either before or after the sale. If you are informally negotiating there are no rules and so you cannot insist on the landlord agreeing to grant an extension or transferring the benefit of an agreement to the purchaser.
West Malling Leasehold Conveyancing - Examples of Queries Prior to buying
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How many of the leaseholders are in arrears for their maintenance charge payments? You should be aware that where the lease has fewer than eighty years it will impact the value of the apartment. It is worth checking with your bank that they are happy with remaining years on the lease. Leases with less than 80 years remaining means that you will most likely require a lease extension at some point and it is worth finding out what this would cost. Remember, in most cases you would need to own the premises for 24 months in order to be eligible to extend the lease. Does the lease have in excess of 90 years left?