My grandmother passed away 10 months ago and as sole heir and executor I was left the property in Horfield. The house had a small mortgage remaining of approximately £4500. I want to have the title changed into my name whilst I re-mortgage to Coventry BS, pay off the mortgage. Is this allowed?
If you intend to refinance then Coventry BS will require that you use a conveyancer on the Coventry BS conveyancing panel. Here is link to the Land Registry online guidance around what to do when a property owner dies. This will help you to understand the registration process behind changing the details re the registered title. in your case it would appear that you are effectively purchasing the property from the estate. Your Coventry BS conveyancing panel solicitor pays the new mortgage money into the estate, the estate pays off the old mortgage, the charge is released and you become the owner and the Coventry BS mortgage is registered as a charge at the Land Registry.
What is the difference between a licensed conveyancer and conveyancing solicitor in Horfield
There are many registered licenced Conveyancers in Horfield and Solicitor partnerships in Horfield who provide Conveyancing services It is important to make clear that both are supervised by regulatory bodies with both specialising in the legal aspects of the home buying process. Both can deal with other property legal work such as remortgage conveyancing, enfranchisement and transfer of equity conveyancing.
Is it the case that all Horfield CQS (Conveyancing Quality Scheme) solicitors are on the Kent Reliance conveyancing list of approved solicitors?
A selection of banks and building societies now use the accreditation scheme as the kick off point for Panel membership such as HSBC and Santander. CQS accreditation however gives no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. That being said,the CML have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for solicitor practices wishing to join their approved list of firms.
I had a mortgage agreed in principle with Virgin Money. Horfield conveyancing solicitors have been chosen. How long does it take for Virgin Money to send the offer to the lawyer?
Some lenders take longer than others. Have Virgin Money conducted the valuation? Have you advised Virgin Money as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel? Sometimes it can take as long as six weeks for a mortgage offer to be issued.
How does conveyancing in Horfield differ for new build properties?
Most buyers of new build residence in Horfield contact us having been asked by the housebuilder to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the house is ready to move into. This is because builders in Horfield typically purchase the site, 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 conveyancing solicitors 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 Horfield or who has acted in the same development.
In my capacity as executor for the estate of my father I am disposing of a property in Cardiff but live in Horfield. My lawyer (based 250 miles awayneeds me to sign a statutory declaration before the transaction finalising. Could you suggest a conveyancing lawyer in Horfield who can witness and place their company stamp on the document?
Technically speaking you are not likely to need to have the documents witnessed by a conveyancing solicitor. Ordinarily any notary public or solicitor will do regardless of whether they are Horfield based
My husband and I are purchasing a 2 bedroom flat in Horfield. At the time of instructing our property lawyer, we were told they were on all major UK mortgage company panels. The mortgage broker called just now to advise that they don't appear to be on the UBS approved list. Should that be true, what should we do? Should we simply choose a different property lawyer that is on their approved list or do we pay for separate representation, with UBS appointing their own preferred lawyer.
Where you are buying a property requiring a mortgage it is conventional for the purchaser’s lawyers to also represent the mortgage company. In order to act for a bank or building society a conveyancer has to be on that lender's list of approved lawyers. An application has to be made by the conveyancing practitioner to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict conditions which the lawyer has to meet. Some lenders now require their panel firms to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme. Your property lawyer should contact UBS and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own lawyers to represent them. You are not legally obliged to appoint a law firm on UBS's conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own Horfield solicitors, in which case your legal fees may increase, and it may delay matters as you are adding another conveyancer into the mix.