We see that you have a post code search directory identifying solicitors on the Co-operative conveyancing panel. Do firms pay you a referral fee if I retain them for our own conveyancing in Bardsley?
We are a listing service only for law firms wishing to communicate if they are on the Co-operative conveyancing panel or other lender panels. We do not charge referral fees to any conveyancer that you subsequently appoint for your conveyancing in Bardsley.
My uncle passed away last year and as sole heir and executor I was left the house in Bardsley. The house had a relatively small loan remaining of approximately £5k. I want to transfer the title deeds into my name whilst I re-mortgage to Skipton, pay off the mortgage. Is this allowed?
Given you plan to re-mortgage then Skipton will require that you use a conveyancer on the Skipton conveyancing panel. Here is link to the Land Registry online guidance around what to do when a property owner dies. This will help you to understand the registration process behind changing the details re the registered title. in your case it would appear that you are effectively purchasing the property from the estate. Your Skipton conveyancing panel solicitor pays the new mortgage money into the estate, the estate pays off the old mortgage, the charge is released and you become the owner and the Skipton mortgage is registered as a charge at the Land Registry.
We are getting the release of further funds on our home loan from Leeds Building Society as we intend to carry out a loft conversion to our property in Bardsley. Are we obliged to select a nearby Bardsley solicitor on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel to handle the legals?
Leeds Building Society do not ordinarily require firms on their approved list of lawyers to deal with such a matter. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel.
I have paid off my mortgage with Skipton. I assume I don't need a Bardsley property lawyer on the Skipton panel to discharge the mortgage at the Land Registry. Am I right?
If you have finished paying off your Skipton mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the Skipton mortgage from the register. Skipton, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:
- but are not moving to another property
- where Skipton has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
- Skipton has instructed the Land Registry to do so
TSB have agreed my mortgage in principle, my bid on a flat in Bardsley has been accepted, what are the next steps?
Your estate agent will need to be advised as to your lawyer's details (ensure that the conveyancing practitioners are on the bank’s panel). Contact TSB or the financial adviser and complete any relevant forms. TSB will appoint a valuer who will get in touch with the selling agent or seller to schedule a slot for the valuation to happen. Once carried out (assuming no problems) it takes on average a week for the mortgage offer to be issued. TSB will issue the offer to you and your conveyancers. The legal work will then take it’s course according the nature and complexity of the conveyancing in Bardsley.
What will a local search tell me concerning the property we're purchasing in Bardsley?
Bardsley conveyancing often commences with the ordering local authority searches directly from your local Authority or through a personal search organisations for instance Xpress Legal The local search plays a central part in most Bardsley conveyancing purchase; as long as you don’t want any unpleasant once you have moved into your property. The search should supply information on, amongst other things, details on planning applications relevant to the property (whether granted or refused), building control history, any enforcement action, restrictions on permitted development, nearby road schemes, contaminated land and radon gas; in all a total of 13 topic sections.
Last July I purchased a leasehold flat in Bardsley. Am I liable to pay service charges for periods before completion of my purchase?
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. Strange as it may seem, 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).
I invested in buying a basement flat in Bardsley, conveyancing was carried out May 1995. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Similar properties in Bardsley with over 90 years remaining are worth £216,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 yearly. The lease terminates on 21st October 2093
You have 69 years unexpired the likely cost is going to span between £9,500 and £11,000 as well as costs.
The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to advice on the actual costs in the absence of comprehensive due diligence. You should not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be other issues that need to be considered and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not take any other action placing reliance on this information without first getting professional advice.