The Benton conveyancing solicitors that I recently instructed on my purchase in Benton have without warning closed. I only went with them because I needed a lawyer on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel and my preferred Benton lawyer was not. I paid them £170 in advance. What are my options?
If you have an estate agent involved then let them know straight away so that they advise the vendors that there may be a slight delay due to reasons beyond your control. Hopefully they will be sympathetic and urge their lawyer to send a new set of papers to your new solicitors. You should appoint new lawyers that are on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel and notify the lender. If you have paid over any money, it will hopefully be held by the SRA as money in an intervened firm's bank accounts is transferred to the SRA. Then, the SRA or the intervention agent looks at the intervened firm's accounts to work out who the money belongs to. To claim your money you will need to contact the SRA. If the SRA cannot return money you are owed from the firm's bank accounts, or if they can only return part of the money, you can apply to the Compensation Fund for a grant. Your new solicitors should be in a position to assist.
We are purchasing a victorian detached house in Benton. We would like to carry out a loft conversion at the property.Will legal work on the property involve enquiries to determine if these alterations are prohibited?
Your property lawyer should check the registered title as conveyancing in Benton will sometimes reveal restrictions in the title deeds which restrict categories of works or require the consent of another owner. Many additions call for local authority planning permissions and approval under the building regulations. Certain locations are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which frequently prevent or impact extensions. It would be wise to check these things with a surveyor prior to committing yourself to a purchase.
I am selling my house. I had a double glazing fitted in July 2006, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My buyer's lender, Principality are being problematic. The Benton solicitor who is on the Principality conveyancing panel is recommending indemnity insurance as a solution but Principality are insisting on a building regulation certificate. Why do Principality have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?
It is probably the case that Principality have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Principality 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.
At last I have had an offer on a flat in Benton agreed to, the owners do however have a connected purchase. The sellers have put an offer on on an apartment, however it’s not yet tied up, and are looking at other flats booked. I have chosen a local conveyancing solicitor in Benton. What should be my next step? When do I get the mortgage application with Nationwide started?
It is usual to have concerns where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to be too out of pocket prematurely (home loan application is in the region of £1k, then valuation, Benton conveyancing search costs, etc). First, you must check that your solicitor is on the Nationwide approved list. Concerning the subsequent phase this very much dictated by the uniqueness of your transaction, motivation for this property and on the state of the market. During a rising market some buyers will apply for the mortgage with Nationwide and pay for the valuation and only if it comes back ok would they pay their lawyer to move forward with searches.
Will my solicitor be raising enquiries about flooding as part of the conveyancing in Benton.
Flooding is a growing risk for conveyancers dealing with homes in Benton. There are those who purchase a house in Benton, completely aware that at some time, it may be flooded. However, aside from the physical damage, where a property is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to get a mortgage, suitable building insurance, or sell the premises. There are steps that can be taken as part of the conveyancing process to forewarn the purchaser.
Conveyancers are not best placed to offer advice on flood risk, but there are a various searches that can be initiated by the purchaser or by their solicitors which will figure out the risks in Benton. The standard completed inquiry forms supplied to a buyer’s conveyancer (where the solicitors are adopting what is known as the Conveyancing Protocol) includes a standard inquiry of the seller to discover whether the property has suffered from flooding. If the residence has been flooded in past and is not notified by the vendor, then a buyer may commence a compensation claim as a result of such an inaccurate reply. A purchaser’s conveyancers will also commission an environmental search. This will reveal whether there is a recorded flood risk. If so, additional investigations will need to be initiated.
I have been on the look out for a flat up to £195,000 and identified one near me in Benton I like with open areas and transport links nearby, however it's only got 61 remaining years left on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Benton in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake purchasing a short lease?
If you need a mortgage the shortness of the lease may be problematic. Reduce the offer by the amount the lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current owner has owned the property for a minimum of 2 years you may request that they commence the lease extension formalities and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the existing lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should consult your conveyancing lawyer about this.
Why do Benton conveyancing charges differ for leasehold and freehold properties?
Leasehold conveyancing in Benton more often than not will involve additional work for instance investigating the lease, communicating with the landlord, obtaining up to date rent receipts, landlord’s consents, management company’s accounts etc.