My aunt passed away last year and as sole heir and executor I was left the house in Windsor. The house had a small mortgage remaining of approximately £8000. I want to have the title changed into my name whilst I re-mortgage to Co-operative, pay off the mortgage. Is this allowed?
Given you plan to refinance then Co-operative will require that you use a conveyancer on the Co-operative conveyancing panel. Here is link to the Land Registry online guidance around what to do when a property owner dies. This will help you to understand the registration process behind changing the details re the registered title. in your case it would appear that you are effectively purchasing the property from the estate. Your Co-operative conveyancing panel solicitor pays the new mortgage money into the estate, the estate pays off the old mortgage, the charge is released and you become the owner and the Co-operative mortgage is registered as a charge at the Land Registry.
Is it the case that all Windsor conveyancing solicitors on the Skipton conveyancing panel are governed by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority?
As a firm of solicitors, in order to be on the Skipton conveyancing panel they would need to be overseen by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority. Some lenders do allow licenced conveyancers on their panel in which case such practice would be overseen by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.
I am purchasing a property in Windsor. A rare aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Virgin Money have issued a mortgage offer so presumably this is not a concern to them. Why is my solicitor raising questions about the panel?
Given that your lender is Virgin Money your lawyer must comply with the conveyancing requirements outlined in Part 2 of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Virgin Money. The CML Handbook sets out minimum conditions for solar panel roof-space leases, and lawyers are required to report to Virgin Money where a lease does not satisfy these conditions. The provisions relate to the installation of panels on properties countrywide and is not limited to Windsor.
Completion of my purchase has taken place for my property in Windsor. Conveyancing was satisfactory but I feel I should register my dissatisfaction about the lender. How do I make a complaint?
Most banks and building societies have complaints procedures. Your first port of call should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Care Department at head office. We understand that complaints to a lender are resolved very quickly. However if you are not satisfied that the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service who will take matters further.
My partner and I are intent on selling our property in Windsor and the buyers lawyers are claiming that there is a possibility that the property was built on contaminated land. Any local conveyancer would know this is not the case. For the life of me I don't know why the purchasers instructed an online conveyancing practice rather than a conveyancing solicitor in Windsor. We have lived in Windsor for three years we know that this is a non issue. Do we contact our local Authority to get clarification need.
It sounds as though you may have a conveyancing solicitor currently acting for you. What do they say? You need to check with 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)
Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to our home are lost. The conveyancers who dealt with the conveyancing in Windsor 5 years ago are no longer around. What are my next steps?
These day there are duplicates made of almost everything, and your lawyer should know precisely where to find all the relevant paperwork so you can buy or dispose of your house without any difficulty. Where duplicates can’t be found, your lawyer can put in place insurance or indemnities against future claims on the premises.
Am I best advised to use a Windsor conveyancing lawyer who is local to the property I am hoping to buy? An old friend can carry out the legal work however they are based 200kilometers drive away.
The primary upside of using a high street Windsor conveyancing firm is that you can visit the firm to execute documents, deliver your ID and pester them where appropriate. They will also have local intelligence which is a bonus. That being said it's more important to get someone that will do a good and efficient job. If other friends have used your friend and the majority were content that must trump using an unknown Windsor conveyancing solicitor just because they are round the corner.
I have just started marketing my basement apartment in Windsor. Conveyancing has not commenced, but I have just received a yearly maintenance charge demand – Do I pay up?
It best that you pay the maintenance contribution as you normally would because all rents and service payments should be allotted on completion, so you will be reimbursed by the buyer for the period running from after the completion date to the next payment date. Most managing agents will not acknowledge the buyer unless the service charges have been paid and are up to date, so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. Having a clear account will assist your cause and will leave you no worse off financially.
Windsor Leasehold Conveyancing - Examples of Queries before buying
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How many of the leaseholders are in arrears for their maintenance charge payments? How long is the Lease? What prohibitions are contained in the Windsor Lease?