I am purchasing a house mortgage free in Harlow. I have resided for the previous twelve years in Harlow. Conveyancing searches are expensive. Given that I have knowledge of the area and road very well should I not bother getting the solicitor to do all the conveyancing searches?
In the absence of a home loan, then almost all of the Harlow conveyancing searches are optional. Your solicitor will try and steer you, perhaps strongly, that you should have searches done, but he is duty bound to do this. One thing to consider; if you are going to dispose of the house in the future, it could be of importance to your prospective purchaser what the searches reveal. On occasion premises with day to day issues can still show up unfavourable search results. A good conveyancing solicitor in Harlow will be able to give you some practical advice in this regard.
I have paid off my mortgage with Coventry BS. I assume I don't need a Harlow solicitor on the Coventry BS panel to remove the mortgage at the Land Registry. Am I right?
If you have finished paying off your Coventry BS mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the Coventry BS mortgage from the register. Coventry BS, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:
- but are not moving to another property
- where Coventry BS has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
- Coventry BS has instructed the Land Registry to do so
I am currently in the process of buying my council flat in Harlow. I have a mortgage offer with Leeds Building Society. 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 Leeds Building Society, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel.
I have a mortgage with Leeds Building Society for my property in Harlow. Conveyancing was finalised months ago. In the event that I decide to rent out the flat and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a BTL mortgage or inform Leeds Building Society?
Your original mortgage agreement with Leeds Building Society will provide that you need their approval in advance of letting out your property as this is likely to be a breach of Leeds Building Society’s mortgage conditions. It may be that Leeds Building Society will permit you to let 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 Leeds Building Society directly. It should not be necessary to do this via a Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel lawyer.
I used Arc property Solicitors several years ago for my conveyancing in Harlow. I now require my papers but cannot find the solicitor. What do I do?
You should call the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to assist in tracking down your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Harlow of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously retained, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.
Over the last few months I have been searching for a leasehold apartment up to £235,500 and found one round the corner in Harlow I like with a park and railway links nearby, however it only has 61 years unexpired on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Harlow for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error buying a lease with such few years left?
If you require a mortgage the shortness of the lease will likely be problematic. Discount the offer by the expected lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current owner has owned the premises for a minimum of twenty four months you may ask them to start the process of the extension 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 solicitor about this.
When it comes to my conveyancing in Harlow should I be paying VAT on the following: (1) Land reg fee on purchase (2) Pre - completion search fee (3) SDLT E submission on purchase (4) Bank TT fee
(1) Land reg fee on purchase - No (2) Pre - completion search fees -No, (such conveyancing searches are HMLR ones and means £4 and possibly £2 bankruptcy per name on your mortgage) (3) SDLT E submission on your purchase - There is no VAT on Stamp Duty. However if the firm is charging a stamp duty e-submission fee as part of their services - some Harlow conveyancers do - that will incur VAT(4) Bank transfer fee - Yes it is for the lawyer's time in submitting the funds this way.