When can the exchange of contracts happen for sale conveyancing in St Neots and am I required to attend the solicitors branch?

Where you are in close proximity to our conveyancing solicitors in St Neots you are invited in to sign the paperwork. That being said, the law practices we work with offer a nationwide conveyancing service and give as equally detailed and professional a job for you when communicating with you by post or email. The executing of the contract is not the critical part. Signing on the dotted line is necessary for the firm to exchange contracts when the time is right, which is ordinarily shortly after signing. The exchange process is nowadays normally dealt with by telephone and can be very rapid, although where a long "chain" is in the mix, since the process requires the relevant party's solicitor (not necessarily a conveyancing solicitor in St Neots)to be in the office available at the end of the phone to exchange contracts.

I have a mortgage with Kent Reliance for my property in St Neots. Conveyancing was finalised 12 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 buy-to-let mortgage or inform Kent Reliance?

Kent Reliance must be informed of your intention before renting your property as this is likely to be a breach of Kent Reliance’s mortgage conditions. In many cases banks or building societies 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 Kent Reliance directly. You need not do this via a Kent Reliance conveyancing panel lawyer.

Planning on purchasing a apartment in St Neots. I have received an online quote from a licenced conveyancer, which states: "There will be no charge for dealing with the Lender if you are obtaining a mortgage". I take this to mean that there will be no additional fee if the solicitor is on the Coventry BS conveyancing panel. I wanted to make sure it means there will be no additional fees for dealing with the mortgage.

They are simply saying that the cost for acting for the lender is included in the fee being quoted. It is worth you checking that the St Neots solicitor is on the Coventry BS conveyancing panel.

Skipton have agreed my mortgage in principle, my offer on a house in St Neots has been accepted, what happens next?

The estate agent will wish to know who your solicitors are (make sure the lawyers are on the bank’s panel). Call up Skipton or your financial adviser and complete any outstanding forms. Skipton will appoint a valuer who will get in contact with the estate agent or vendor to schedule an appointment. Once conducted (assuming no problems) it takes approximately ten days to receive the mortgage offer. Skipton will issue the offer to you and your conveyancing practitioners. The transaction will then take it’s course according the nature and complexity of the conveyancing in St Neots.

Will our lawyer be raising questions about flooding as part of the conveyancing in St Neots.

Flooding is a growing risk for conveyancers dealing with homes in St Neots. Some people will purchase a house in St Neots, completely expectant that at some time, it may be flooded. However, aside from the physical damage, where a house is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to get a mortgage, adequate insurance cover, or dispose of the premises. Steps can be carried out during the course of a property purchase to forewarn the buyer.

Solicitors are not best placed to offer advice on flood risk, however there are a numerous searches that may be undertaken by the buyer or by their solicitors which should give them a better appreciation of the risks in St Neots. The conventional set of information sent to a purchaser’s lawyer (where the Conveyancing Protocol is adopted) contains a usual question of the vendor to discover whether the property has suffered from flooding. If flooding has previously occurred which is not notified by the vendor, then a purchaser could commence a compensation claim stemming from an inaccurate answer. A buyer’s lawyers should also conduct an environmental search. This will disclose if there is any known flood risk. If so, more detailed inquiries should be conducted.

I have todaydiscovered that Wolstenholmes have closed. They conducted my conveyancing in St Neots for a purchase of a leasehold flat 10 months ago. How can I establish that my home is in my name in the name of the previous owner?

The easiest method to check if the premises 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 St Neots conveyancing specialists.

My wife and I purchased a leasehold flat in St Neots. Conveyancing and Bank of Scotland mortgage are in place. A letter has just been received from someone saying they have taken over the reversionary interest in the property. It included a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1997. The conveyancing practitioner in St Neots who acted for me is not around. Do I pay?

The first thing you should do is make enquiries of the Land Registry to make sure that this person is in fact the registered owner of the freehold reversion. It is not necessary to instruct a St Neots conveyancing practitioner to do this as it can be done on-line for less than a fiver. Rest assured that in any event, even if this is the legitimate freeholder, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.

St Neots Leasehold Conveyancing - A selection of Questions you should ask Prior to buying

What is the annual service fee and ground rent? Are any of leasehold owners in arrears of their service charge liability? It is important to be aware if fixing the lift or some other major work is due in the near future that will be shared between the leaseholders and will dramatically impact the level of the service fees or require a specific payment.