Last June we completed a house move in Hoylake. We have since encountered a number of issues with the property which we believe were omitted in the conveyancing searches. Do we have any recourse? Can you clarify the nature of searches that needed to have been carried out as part of conveyancing in Hoylake?
It is not clear from the question as what problems have arisen and if they are specific to conveyancing in Hoylake. Conveyancing searches and investigations undertaken as part of the legal transfer of property are carried out to help avoid problems. As part of the process, a seller completes a questionnaire referred to as a SPIF. If the information is inaccurate, then you may have a claim against the vendor for any losses that you have suffered. The survey should have identified any problems with the structure of the property. Assuming a detailed survey was carried out and the issues were not identified, you may have a claim against the surveyor. However, if you did not have a full survey, you may be responsible for fixing any defects that have now been noted. We would always encourage buyers to take every possible step to ensure they are completely aware of the condition of a property before purchase regardless of whether they are buying in Hoylake.
Is there a reason why leasehold purchase conveyancing in Hoylake costs more?
Hoylake leasehold conveyancing transactions usually involve additional investigations than freeholds including investigating the Lease, liaising with the Landlord such as serving appropriate notices on the Landlord or managing agent, obtaining up-to-date service charge and management information, obtaining Landlord’s consents and reviewing management accounts and formation documents.
What happens if my lawyer’s firm is expelled from the Virgin Money Conveyancing panel ahead of completing my conveyancing in Hoylake?
The first thing to point out is that, this is a very rare occurrence. 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 at a cost.
I decided to have a survey completed on a house in Hoylake prior to appointing lawyers. I have been informed that there is a flying freehold aspect to the property. My surveyor advised that some banks may not grant a mortgage on such a home.
It depends who your proposed lender is. Lloyds has different instructions from Halifax. If you contact us we can check via the relevant mortgage company. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Hoylake. Conveyancing can be more complicated and therefore you should check with your conveyancing solicitor in Hoylake to see if the conveyancing costs will increase in light of this.
Should I cancel the direct debit for my mortgage with Skipton once a completion date for my home sale in Hoylake has been agreed?
You are best advised to maintain meeting any mortgage sums to Skipton pending the mortgage being repaid on completion as part of your Hoylake conveyancing.