I can't travel far from Lee. I would like to know the reason why all Lee conveyancers aren't included on all bank panels?
Even though it may seem unfair for mortgage companies to restrict who can act for them, from the public’s or lawyer’s viewpoint, the the contrary view is that lenders are increasingly anxious and consider it imperative to protect them against mortgage fraud. As a result of this concern lenders have restricted their panel of approved conveyancing lawyers to a manageable size.
We are close to exchanging contracts on the sale of our home in Lee and according to the buyers it appears that there is a possibility that the property was built on contaminated land. A high street Lee lawyer would know this is not the case. For the life of me I don't know why the purchasers used an online conveyancing outfit as opposed to a conveyancing solicitor in Lee. Having lived in Lee for many years we know of no issue. Should we contact our local Authority to obtain clarification that the buyers are looking for.
It would appear that you have a conveyancing lawyer already. What do they say? You need to enquire of your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out life insurance to cover that same illness)
I have justbecome aware that Stirling Law have closed. They carried out my conveyancing in Lee for a purchase of a leasehold flat 12 months ago. How can I check that my home is registered correctly in the name of the former proprietor?
The easiest way to check if the property is registered to you, you can carry out a search of the land registry (£3.00). You can either do this yourself or ask a law firm to do this for you. If you are not registered you can seek help from one of a number of Lee conveyancing specialists.
Due to the advice of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a property in Lee in advance of appointing lawyers. I have been informed that there is a flying freehold overhang to the house. Our surveyor advised that some lenders tend refuse to give a mortgage on such a property.
It depends who your proposed lender is. Santander has different instructions from Birmingham Midshires. If you contact us we can check with the appropriate mortgage company. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Lee. Conveyancing can be more complicated and therefore you should check with your conveyancing solicitor in Lee to see if the conveyancing will be more expensive.
Last March I purchased a leasehold property in Lee. Am I liable to pay service charges for periods before my ownership?
In a situation where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous owner and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. However, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. It is an essential part of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to be sure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.
If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).
After months of negotiations we are unable to agree with our landlord on how much the lease extension should cost for our flat in Lee. Does the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal have jurisdiction to calculate the appropriate figures?
Where there is a absentee freeholder or if there is disagreement about the premium for a lease extension, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the LVT to arrive at the sum to be paid.
An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement decision for a Lee property is 18 Handen Road in April 2013. On 26 October 2012 District Judge Zimmels sitting at the Lambeth County Court made a Vesting Order that the Applicants be granted the right to acquire the freehold upon such terms and at such price determined by the LVT. The Tribunal arrived a figure of £39,535 as a valuation for the enfranchisement. This case related to 3 flats. The number of years remaining on the existing lease(s) was 69.05 years.