It is 10 years ago since I purchased my house in Belvedere. Conveyancing solicitors have recently been appointed on the sale but I can't find the title deeds. Is this a problem?
You need not be too concerned. Firstly the deeds may be retained by your mortgage company or they may stored with the conveyancers who acted in your purchase. Secondly the likelihood is that the title will be registered at the land registry and you will be able to establish that you are the registered owner by your conveyancing lawyers obtaining current official copies of the land registers. Nearly all conveyancing in Belvedere relates to registered property but in the unlikely event that your home is not registered it is more problematic but is not insurmountable.
Please explain the implications if my lawyer’s firm is removed from the Lloyds Conveyancing panel ahead of completing my conveyancing in Belvedere?
The first thing to point out is that, this is very unlikely to happen. In most cases even where a law firm is removed off of a panel the lender would allow the completion to go ahead as the lender would appreciate the difficulties that they would place you in if you have to instruct a new solicitor days before completion. In a worst case scenario where the lender insists that you instruct a new firm then it is possible for a very good lawyer to expedite the conveyancing albeit that you may pay a significant premium for this. The analogous situation is where a buyer instructs a lawyer, exchanges contracts and the law firm is shut down by a regulator such as the SRA. Again, in this situation you can find lawyers who can troubleshoot their way to bring the conveyancing to a satisfactory conclusion - albeit for a fee.
I am due to move home in December. Will my conveyancing solicitor update the removal company on the day of completion. As an aside, can you put forward a removal company in Belvedere. Conveyancing firm was chosen prior to coming across your site.
On the day of completion you will need to pick up the keys from the property agent but this can only be done when the sellers conveyancers confirm to the agent that the monies to complete are in and the keys can be handed over. Subsequently you should tell the removal company that they can start moving you in. As a matter of policy we do not recommend a particular removal company but can help you choose a residential property solicitor in Belvedere or a lawyer with expertise in conveyancing in Belvedere.
Are all Belvedere Conveyancing Quality Solicitors on the Skipton conveyancing panel?
Some major lenders now use CQS as the kick off point for Panel membership such as HSBC and Santander. The Law Society’s CQS accreditation however gives no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. Nevertheless,the Council of Mortgage Lenders have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for solicitor practices wishing to remain on their panels.
The mortgage over my property is with Lloyds for my property in Belvedere. Conveyancing has been completed a year ago. If I am intending to rent out my property and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a buy-to-let mortgage or inform Lloyds?
Lloyds must be informed of your intention in advance of letting out your property as this is likely to be a breach of Lloyds’s mortgage conditions. It may be that Lloyds will allow you to rent out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact Lloyds directly. You need not do this via a Lloyds conveyancing panel solicitor.
Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to my house can not be found. The lawyers who handled the conveyancing in Belvedere 4 years ago have long since closed. Will I be able to sell the house?
As long as you have a registered title the information relating to your ownership will be held by the Land Registry with a Title Number. It is possible to perform a search at the Land Registry, find your house and get up to date copies of the property title for less than a fiver. Where the property is Leasehold then the Land Registry will usually hold a file duplicate of the Registered Lease and again, a copy can be obtained for twenty pounds.
I have recently placed an offer on an apartment in Belvedere and the broker that we are using recommended his conveyancer. He quoted £900 plus VAT and disbursements. Does this sound reasonable?
You should not rely on a single estimate. One should obtain like-for-like quotes for your conveyancing in Belvedere. Then choose one that you trust and crucially, is on the approved panel of the bank that you are sourcing your mortgage from.