Having sold my house in Emerson Park last May but our buyer keeps e-mailing me to moan that her solicitor is waiting to hear from mine. What should have happened following completion?
After completion of your house sale your conveyancer is committed to forward the transfer documentation and all supplemental paperwork to the buyer’s solicitors. Where appropriate, your conveyancer should also evidence that the legal charge in favour of the lender has been repaid to the buyers solicitors. There is unlikely to be post completion tasks specific conveyancing in Emerson Park.
I am purchasing a property in Emerson Park. A rare aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Solicitors conducting should look into this right? Will my lender Kent Reliance be concerned?
As you are obtaining a mortgage with Kent Reliance your lawyer must comply with the formal requirements contained in Section 2 of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Kent Reliance. The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook sets out minimum conditions for solar panel roof-space leases, and conveyancing practitioners are required to report to Kent Reliance where a lease does not satisfy these provisions. The provisions relate to the installation of panels on properties countrywide and is not limited to Emerson Park.
My wife and I are in the process of viewing apartments in Emerson Park and I am now considering a potential offer. Is it sensible to have my property lawyer on ‘stand by’? I intend to finance via a mortgage with UBS.
You should start obtaining conveyancing estimates from solicitors ASAP. Once you decide who you want to use and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and forward their contact information on to the selling agent. As you are obtaining a mortgage with UBS, ask your prospective lawyers if they are on the UBS conveyancing panel otherwise they can't do the mortgage legal work.
I've digested plenty of mortgage guides, I note that they all recommend that you should get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Emerson Park solicitor - who is on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. is that correct?
Virgin Money will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Virgin Money will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. Your property lawyer will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by your Emerson Park postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Virgin Money, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Emerson Park.
Various online forums that I have come across warn that are the primary cause of delay in Emerson Park house deals. Is that correct?
The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) published findings of a review by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not figure within the top 10 causes of delays in the conveyancing process. Searches are unlikely to be the root cause of slowing down conveyancing in Emerson Park.
Me and my brother purchased a 4 bedroom Georgian property in Emerson Park. Conveyancing practitioner represented me and Aldermore. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and there are two entries: the first freehold, the second leasehold under the matching address. I thought I was buying a freehold how can I check?
You should review the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Emerson Park and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they buy they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with lenders. You can also check the position with your conveyancing solicitor who conducted the purchase.
Should I appoint a Emerson Park conveyancing solicitor who is local to the property I am purchasing? I have an old university friend who can conduct the conveyancing but they are based 300kilometers drive away.
The primary upside of using a local Emerson Park conveyancing practice is that you can pop in to sign paperwork, present your ID and apply pressure on them if necessary. They will also have local intelligence which is a bonus. However nothing is more important than finding someone that will do a good and efficient job. If you know people who instructed your friend and they were content that should surpass using an unfamiliar Emerson Park conveyancing solicitor solely due to them being local.