We see that you have a post code search directory listing firms on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel. Do firms pay you a commission if I appoint them for our conveyancing in Cowley?
We are a listing service only for law firms wishing to communicate if they are on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel or other lender panels. We do not charge referral fees to any conveyancer that you subsequently appoint for your conveyancing in Cowley.
When researching online forums for an affordable solicitor in Cowley, many advise that I must instruct a CQS assured solicitor. What is CQS?
The Law Society's Conveyancing Quality Scheme is the recognised kitemark for legal experts in buying or selling property, trusted by some of the UK's biggest lenders. Four years ago the Conveyancing Quality Scheme was officially recognised by the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML). CQS is not a scheme offered by the Council of Licensed Conveyancing. Cowley is one of the numerous areas in England and Wales where there are Accredited lawyers.
My friend suggested that if I am purchasing in Cowley I should ask my conveyancer to carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?
This is a search is sometimes included in the estimate for your Cowley conveyancing searches. It is not a small document of about 40 pages, listing and detailing significant information about Cowley around the property and the people living there. It includes an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the local Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the demographics of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average Property Price, Crime details, Local Education with plans and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful information about Cowley.
Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to my home are lost. The lawyers who dealt with the conveyancing in Cowley 5 years ago are no longer around. What are my options?
Gone are the days when you need to have the physical official documentation to evidence that you own the land or premises, given that the Land Registry have everything they need in a digital format.
I've recently bought a leasehold property in Cowley. Am I liable to pay service charges relating to a period prior to 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. 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).
Following years of dialogue we cannot agree with our landlord on how much the lease extension should cost for our flat in Cowley. Does the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal have jurisdiction to calculate the appropriate figures?
if there is a missing freeholder or where there is disagreement about the premium for a lease extension, under the relevant statutes it is possible to make an application to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) to judgment on the sum to be paid.
An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement case for a Cowley premises is 164 Nestles Avenue in October 2013. The tribunal agreed with the proposed price of £20,158 for the freehold and determined that that sum is the amount to be paid into court This case related to 2 flats. The unexpired term was 69 years.