It is a dozen years since I purchased my home in Woodford Green. Conveyancing solicitors have now been appointed on the sale but I can't track down my title documents. Is this a major issue?
Don’t worry too much. Firstly the deeds may be with your mortgage company or they may be archived with the conveyancers who oversaw the purchase. Secondly in most cases the title will be recorded at the land registry and you will be able to establish that you own the property by your conveyancing solicitors acquiring current official copies of the land registers. The vast majority of conveyancing in Woodford Green involves registered property but in the rare situation where your home is unregistered it is more of a problem but is resolvable.
I am assisting my niece sell her flat in Woodford Green. Will the solicitor arrange the energy performance certificate or should I organise this?
Following the demise of HIPs, EPC’s became a compulsory element of moving house. An energy assessment should be commissioned prior to the property being put on the market. It is not something that conveyancers normally organise. If you are using a Woodford Green conveyancing lawyer they might be able to arrange energy assessments given their relationships with long established local providers
This question may be naive but I am new to the home moving as a 1st time purchaser of a two bedroom flat in Woodford Green. Do I collect the keys to the premises on the completion date from my solicitor? If so, I will appoint a High Street conveyancing solicitor in Woodford Green?
On the day of completion you will not be required to attend the conveyancers office in Woodford Green. Your solicitors will electronically transfer the purchase money to the vendor’s solicitors, and shortly after the monies have arrived, you should be called to receive the keys from the Estate Agents and start moving into the property. Usually this happens between 1 and 3pm.
I am selling my house. I had a double glazing fitted in January 2007, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My buyer's lender, Skipton are being a right pain. The Woodford Green solicitor who is on the Skipton conveyancing panel is recommending indemnity insurance as a solution but Skipton are requiring a building regulation certificate. Why do Skipton have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?
It is probably the case that Skipton have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Skipton may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing was correctly and safely installed. The indemnity insurance merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.
The deeds to my home are lost. The solicitors who did the conveyancing in Woodford Green 10 years ago have long since closed. Will I be able to sell the house?
These day there are duplicates made of almost everything, and your solicitor will be aware exactly where to locate all the appropriate documentation so you can purchase or sell your house without any difficulty. If copies can’t be found, your solicitor may be able to put in place insurance or indemnities against future claims on your property.
How does conveyancing in Woodford Green differ for newly converted properties?
Most buyers of new build or newly converted property in Woodford Green approach us having been asked by the developer to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the residence is completed. This is because house builders in Woodford Green typically purchase 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 Woodford Green or who has acted in the same development.
As co-executor for the will of my grandmother I am selling a residence in Newport but I am based in Woodford Green. My conveyancer (who is 235 miles awayhas requested that I sign a stat dec before the transaction finalising. Could you suggest a conveyancing practitioner in Woodford Green who can attest and place their company stamp on the document?
strictly speaking you are not likely to be required to have the documents attested by a conveyancing solicitor. Normally any notary public or solicitor will suffice regardless of whether they are Woodford Green based
I've recently bought a leasehold house in Woodford Green. Do I have any liability for service charges relating to a period prior to completion of my purchase?
Where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous lessee 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).
Following months of correspondence we cannot agree with our landlord on how much the lease extension should cost for our flat in Woodford Green. Can we issue an application to the Residential Property Tribunal Service?
Where there is a absentee freeholder or where there is disagreement about the premium for a lease extension, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 it is possible to make an application to the LVT to decide the price.
An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement decision for a Woodford Green property is 201 & 201a St. Barnabas Road in October 2013. The Tribunal decided that the price to be paid by the Applicants for the freehold interest is £20,071. This case was in relation to 2 flats. The unexpired residue of the current lease was 69.26 years.