It is a dozen years since I bought my house in Totnes. Conveyancing solicitors have just been appointed on the sale but I am unable to track down my title deeds. Will this cause complications?
Don’t worry too much. Firstly there is a possibility that the deeds will be with your mortgage company or they may be in the possession of the solicitor who handled the purchase. Secondly in most cases the title will be recorded at the land registry and you will be able to prove you are the registered owner by your conveyancing lawyers obtaining up to date copy of the land registers. Most conveyancing in Totnes involves registered property but in the unlikely event that your property is unregistered it adds to the complexity but is not insurmountable.
Can you clarify what the consequences are if my solicitor is suspended from the Clydesdale Solicitor panel ahead of completing my conveyancing in Totnes?
First, 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 for a fee.
Do I need to take out insurance to address the risk of chancel repairs when purchasing a house in Totnes?
Unless a prior acquisition of the premises took place after 12 October 2013 you can expect conveyancing practitioners conducting conveyancing in Totnes to remain encouraging a chancel search and or insurance against a claim.
Over the last few months I have been searching for a leasehold apartment up to £195,000 and identified one round the corner in Totnes I like with open areas and railway links in the vicinity, however it only has 51 years on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Totnes suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake buying a short lease?
If you require a mortgage the shortness of the lease may be a potential deal breaker. Reduce the offer by the anticipated lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current owner has owned the property for at least 2 years you may ask them to commence the lease extension formalities and pass it to you. You can add 90 years to the current lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer concerning this matter.
In my capacity as executor for the will of my uncle I am selling a house in Cardiff but reside in Totnes. My lawyer (who is 235 kilometers awayhas requested that I execute a statutory declaration before the transaction finalising. Could you suggest a conveyancing lawyer in Totnes to witness this legal document for me?
strictly speaking you are unlikely to be required to have the documents attested by a conveyancing solicitor. Ordinarily or notary public or qualified solicitor will suffice regardless of whether they are Totnes based