My partner and I are planning to purchase a home in Southwater and are in fact using a Southwater conveyancing practice. Within the past 48 hours our property lawyer has forwarded the sale agreement to be signed with a detailed report in anticipation of exchanging contracts shortly. Nationwide Building Society have this morning contacted us to inform me that they have now hit a problem as our Southwater solicitor is not on their conveyancing panel. What do we do from here?
Where you are buying a property needing a mortgage it is conventional for the purchasers' lawyers to also represent the mortgage company. In order to act for a bank or building society a law firm has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the law firm to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the firm has to satisfy and indeed some lenders now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme. Your property lawyer should contact your bank and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own solicitors to act. You don't have to instruct a firm on the bank's conveyancing panel as you are at liberty to use your preferred Southwater lawyers, in which case your legal fees may increase, and it will likely delay the transaction as you are adding another lawyer into the mix.
Completed the sale of my flat in Southwater last October yet the purchaser is calling me complaining that his conveyancer is waiting to hear from mine. What should my lawyer have done following completion?
After completion of your house sale your lawyer should forward the transfer deeds and all additional paperwork to the purchaser's conveyancer. Depending on the transaction, your solicitor should also send confirmation that the legal charge in favour of the lender has been paid off to the buyers solicitors. There are no post completion requirements just for conveyancing in Southwater.
I am assisting my niece sell her property in Southwater. Does the conveyancer arrange an energy assessment or do I organise this?
Following the abolition of Home Information Packs, energy performance certificates remained a compulsory part of moving house. An EPC should be commissioned prior to the property being marketed. It is not a task that solicitors ordinarily arrange. Where you are using a Southwater conveyancing solicitor they may be able to arrange energy performance certificates due to their relationships with reputable local accredited person
We are due to move house in September. Should my conveyancing solicitor update the removal company on the completion day. On a separate note, can you put forward a removal company in Southwater. Conveyancing lawyer was chosen prior to coming across this site.
On the day of completion you will need to pick up the keys from your selling agent however this should only take place after the sellers solicitors confirm to the agent that they acknowledge receipt of the completion payment and the keys can be handed over. After that you can advise the removal men that they can start moving you in. As a matter of policy we do not suggest a specific removal organisation but can help you locate a residential property solicitor in Southwater or a firm with expertise in conveyancing in Southwater.
How can we know in advance if a Southwater conveyancing solicitor on the Kent Reliance panel is any good?
When it comes to conveyancing in Southwater getting recommendations is a sensible start. Before you go ahead, check if they offer a no sale no fee offer. Also, you often get what you pay for - a firm which quotes more, will often provide a better service than one advertising the lowest fees. We would always advocate that you speak with the solicitor handling your conveyancing.
I am looking for a flat up to £305k and identified one round the corner in Southwater I like with open areas and transport links nearby, however it only has 61 remaining years left on the lease. There is not much else in Southwater suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake purchasing a short lease?
If you need a home loan that many years will be an issue. Discount the offer by the expected lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current proprietor has owned the premises for a minimum of twenty four months you can request that they commence the lease extension formalities and pass it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer concerning this matter.
Having checked my lease I have discovered that there are only 68 years remaining on my flat in Southwater. I am keen to get lease extension but my freeholder is missing. What should I do?
On the basis that you meet the appropriate requirements, 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 lengthened by the Court. However, you will be required to prove that you or your lawyers have done all that could be expected to track down the freeholder. For most situations a specialist should be helpful to try and locate and prepare an expert document to be used as proof that the freeholder is indeed missing. It is advisable to get professional help from a solicitor in relation to devolving into the landlord’s absence and the vesting order request to the County Court covering Southwater.
Leasehold Conveyancing in Southwater - A selection of Questions you should ask before Purchasing
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Does this lease have in excess of 80 years remaining? How much is the ground rent and service charge? For many Southwater leaseholds the cost for major works are not included within service charges, albeit that a few managing agents in Southwater obliged tenants to pay into a sinking fund and this is used to offset against major repairs or maintenance.
My solicitors in Southwater have advised me that they can not locate my conveyancing file. To assist with my purchase I took out a mortgage with the mortgage company. Is it case that being on the bank conveyancing panel they need to have retained the file for a prescribed period?
It very much depends from lender to lender but many of the Terms and Conditions of Conveyancing Panel Appointment require the file to be held for a period of 6 years. That being said we have not seen a copy of the bank Conveyancing Panel Terms. It might be worth you contacting the bank directly.