We are buying a 3 bedroom apartment in Harlech with a mortgage. We have a Harlech lawyer, however the mortgage company advise she’s not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the bank panel solicitors or continue with our Harlech lawyer as well as pay for one of their panel firms to act for them. This feels very unfair; can we not insist that the lender use our Harlech conveyancing practitioner ?
Unfortunately,no. Your mortgage offer is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the lender’s conveyancing panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. Another option that might be available is for your Harlech conveyancing solicitor to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.
It is a dozen years since I acquired my house in Harlech. Conveyancing lawyers have recently been appointed on the sale but I am unable to find my title documents. Will this cause complications?
Don’t worry too much. First there is a possibility that the deeds will be with the lender or they could stored with the conveyancers who handled the purchase. Secondly the chances are that the title will be recorded at the land registry and you will be able to prove you are the registered owner by your conveyancing solicitors acquiring current official copies of the land registers. Most conveyancing in Harlech involves registered property but in the unlikely event that your property is unregistered it adds to the complexity but is resolvable.
I just acquired a house at auction in Harlech. Conveyancing is needed. What are my next steps?
Having exchanged you will need to choose a conveyancing solicitor soon as you will have a fast approaching a drop dead date to complete the purchase. An auction property should have a bespoke legal set of papers. This should include most,if not all of the documents that your lawyer requires. In the case of leasehold premises the conveyancing papers may provide a copy of the lease, management information and a sellers leasehold information form and associated conveyancing documentation specific to a leasehold property. You should give this to your appointed conveyancing solicitor ASAP. You also need to ensure that your finances are in place to complete the transaction on the set completion date.
Can you point me to a directory of Skipton panel solicitors in Harlech on the Building Society Association’s Website?
No. There is no such directory service on the Council of Mortgage Lenders or Building Society Association websites. A small selection of lenders make their panel listings open the public on the web. If you are looking for a Harlech solicitor on the Skipton please make the most of our tool.
I have decided to exercise my right to buy my property in Harlech off the council. I have a mortgage agreed with Santander. 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 use 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 Santander, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Santander conveyancing panel.
I am buying my first flat in Harlech benefiting from help to buy. The sellers would not move on the amount so I negotiated £7000 of additionals instead. The property agent told me not to tell my conveyancer about the side-deal as it will put at risk my mortgage with the bank. Should I keep quiet?.
All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the developer of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.
Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.
Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.
I opted to have a survey done on a property in Harlech in advance of retaining conveyancers. I have been advised that there is a flying freehold aspect to the property. Our surveyor advised that some banks will not grant a loan on this type of home.
It varies from the lender to lender. Bank of Scotland has different requirements from Birmingham Midshires. If you e-mail us we can investigate further with the relevant lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Harlech. Conveyancing can be more complicated and therefore you should check with your conveyancing solicitor in Harlech to see if the conveyancing costs will increase in light of this.
There are only 72 years unexpired on my flat in Harlech. I now wish to get lease extension but my landlord is absent. What options are available to me?
On the basis that you qualify, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the County Court for for permission to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will enable the lease to be granted an extra 90 years by the magistrate. However, you will be required to demonstrate that you or your lawyers have made all reasonable attempts to track down the landlord. On the whole an enquiry agent would be helpful to conduct investigations and to produce an expert document to be accepted by the court as proof that the freeholder is indeed missing. It is advisable to get professional help from a solicitor in relation to investigating the landlord’s absence and the application to the County Court covering Harlech.
I bought a split level flat in Harlech, conveyancing formalities finalised in 2007. Can you please calculate a probable premium for a statutory lease extension? Equivalent properties in Harlech with an extended lease are worth £176,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 levied per year. The lease ends on 21st October 2106
With just 80 years remaining on your lease we estimate the premium for your lease extension to span between £7,600 and £8,800 as well as professional fees.
The figure above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs in the absence of comprehensive investigations. You should not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt other issues that need to be considered and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not take any other action placing reliance on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.