I am getting a mortgage offer from Nat West. I hope to employ the services of a Licensed Conveyancer in Ottershaw. Does the Nat West Conveyancing panel exclude conveyancers regulated by the CLC?

The Nat West approved solicitor list is, like many other lenders, associated to the CML or BSA, open to Licensed Conveyancers regulated by the CLC.

At what point will exchange of contracts take place for residential conveyancing in Ottershaw and do I need to attend the conveyancers branch?

If you are near to our conveyancing solicitors in Ottershaw you are invited in to sign the paperwork. However, the firms we recommend offer a nationwide conveyancing service and provide just as detailed and professional a job for you when communicating with you digitally. The signing of the contract is not the point of no return. Signing on the dotted line is just a prerequisite for the solicitor to address the formalities at the suitable time, which is ordinarily shortly after signing. The procedure is is usually a five minute process, although where a lengthy "chain" is in the mix, since the process requires the relevant party's solicitor (not necessarily a conveyancing solicitor in Ottershaw)to be in the office available at the end of the phone to exchange contracts.

The Ottershaw conveyancing solicitors that I recently instructed on my house acquisition in Ottershaw have suddenly closed. I chose them because I needed a solicitor on the Skipton conveyancing panel and my family Ottershaw lawyer was not. I gave my credit card details for them to take £195 for searches. What should be my next steps?

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 the problems encountered. Hopefully they will be sympathetic and urge their lawyer to send a new set of papers to your new solicitors. You will need to appoint new lawyers that are on the Skipton 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 help.

Can I be sure that the Ottershaw conveyancing solicitor on the Barclays panel is any good?

When it comes to conveyancing in Ottershaw seeking recommendations is a good starting point. Before you go ahead, check if they offer a no sale no fee offer. Also, you often get what you pay for - a firm which quotes more, will often provide a better service than one which is cheap as chips. We would always suggest that you speak with the solicitor handling your transaction.

We are getting a further advance on our home loan from Co-operative as we wish to carry out improvements to our house in Ottershaw. Do we need to appoint a bricks and mortar Ottershaw solicitor on the Co-operative conveyancing panel to handle the legals?

Co-operative would not normally require a member of their conveyancing panel to handle the formalities. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Co-operative panel.

Clydesdale have agreed my mortgage in principle, my bid on a apartment in Ottershaw has been accepted, what are the next steps?

Your estate agent will want to know who your solicitors are (ensure that the conveyancers are on the bank’s panel). Contact Clydesdale or the broker and finalise any relevant forms. Clydesdale will appoint a valuer who will get in touch with the estate agent or vendor to book a time for the valuation to occur. Once carried out (assuming no problems) it takes approximately a fortnight for the mortgage offer to be issued. Clydesdale will issue the offer to you and your lawyers. The legal work will then take it’s course according the nature and complexity of the conveyancing in Ottershaw.

I am looking at a couple of apartments in Ottershaw both have approximately 50 years unexpired on the leases. Should I regard a short lease as a deal breaker?

There is no doubt about it. A leasehold apartment in Ottershaw is a wasting asset as a result of the shortening lease. The closer the lease gets to its expiry date, the more it reduces the marketability of the property. For most buyers and lenders, leases with less than eighty years become less and less marketable. On a more positive note, leaseholders can extend their leases by serving a Section 42 Notice. One stipulation is that they must have owned the premises for two years (unlike a Section 13 notice for purchasing the freehold, when leaseholders can participate from day one of ownership). When successful, they will have the right to an extension of 90 years to the current term and ground rent is effectively reduced to zero. Before moving forward with a purchase of premises with a short lease term remaining you should talk to a solicitor specialising in lease extensions and leasehold enfranchisement. We are are happy to put you in touch with Ottershaw conveyancing experts who will explain the options available to you during an initial telephone conversation free of charge. A more straightforward and quicker method of extending would be to contact your landlord directly and sound him out on the prospect of extending the lease. You may find he or she is happy to negotiate informally and willing to consider your offer straight off, without having to involve anyone else. This will save you time and money and it could help you reach a lower price on the lease. You need to ensure that any new terms represent good long-term value compared with the standard benefits of the Section 42 Notice and that onerous clauses are not inserted into any redrafting of the lease.

Ottershaw Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - A selection of Questions you should ask Prior to Purchasing

Is anyone aware of any major works anticipated that will likely increase the service costs? How much is the ground rent and service charge? This information is helpful as a) areas could result in problems in the block as the communal areas may start to deteriorate if services remain unpaid b) if the tenants have a dispute with the managing agents you will need to have full disclosure