Much to our surprise we have been told by our lender that my Gerrards Cross solicitor is not on the mortgage company Conveyancing panel. How can I be certain whether this is indeed the case?
The first thing you need to do is to contact your Gerrards Cross lawyer directly. You lawyer should notify you of the situation. If they are not on the panel they could put your in touch with solicitors on the approved list of lawyers for your lender.
What is the first thing I need to know regarding purchase conveyancing in Gerrards Cross?
Not many law firms shout this from the rooftops but conveyancing in Gerrards Cross and elsewhere in England and Wales is an adversarial process. Put another way, when it comes to conveyancing there is an abundance of room for confrontation between you and other parties involved in the legal transfer of property. For instance, the vendor, property agent and even potentially your lender. Appointing a law firm for your conveyancing in Gerrards Cross should not be taken lightly as your conveyancer is your adviser, and is the ONE person in the transaction whose responsibility is to protect your legal interests and to protect you.
There is a definite ongoing adversarial element to conveyancing- someone has to be at fault for the process being so protracted. You your first instinct should be to trust your solicitor ahead of the other players in the conveyancing process.
How does conveyancing in Gerrards Cross differ for newly converted properties?
Most buyers of new build residence in Gerrards Cross approach us having been asked by the builder to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the residence is ready to move into. This is because new home sellers in Gerrards Cross tend to acquire the land, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct conveyancers as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are accustomed to new build conveyancing in Gerrards Cross or who has acted in the same development.
Is it best to appoint a Gerrards Cross conveyancing solicitor based in the location that I am hoping to buy? I have an old university friend who can deal with the conveyancing however her office is 200kilometers drive away.
The primary upside of using a high street Gerrards Cross conveyancing firm is that you can visit the firm to execute paperwork, hand in your ID and pester them where appropriate. They will also have local intelligence which is a benefit. However nothing is more important than finding someone that will pull out all the stops for you. If other friends have instructed your friend and they were impressed that should surpass using an unknown Gerrards Cross conveyancing lawyer just because they are local.
My wife and I purchased a leasehold flat in Gerrards Cross. Conveyancing and Alliance & Leicester mortgage are in place. I have received a letter from someone claiming to own the reversionary interest in the property. It included a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1997. The conveyancing practitioner in Gerrards Cross who acted for me is not around. Any advice?
First contact the Land Registry to be sure that the individual purporting to own the freehold is indeed the registered owner of the freehold reversion. It is not necessary to incur the fees of a Gerrards Cross conveyancing lawyer to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for less than a fiver. Rest assured that in any event, even if this is the rightful freeholder, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.
I have given up trying to purchase the freehold in Gerrards Cross. Can this matter be resolved via the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal?
You certainly can. We are happy to put you in touch with a Gerrards Cross conveyancing firm who can help.
An example of a Lease Extension matter before the tribunal for a Gerrards Cross flat is Flats 8, 11 and 15 Craigmore Court 46 Murray Road in December 2013. The tribunal held that the price payable by the Applicant tenant of Flat 8 to acquire an extended lease shall be £26,438 plus £1 to the intermediate lessee . The tribunal held that the price payable by the Applicant tenants of Flat 11 to acquire an extended lease shall be £26,791 plus £1 to the intermediate lessee. The tribunal held that the price payable by the Applicant tenant of Flat 15 to acquire an extended lease shall be £26,638 plus £1 to the intermediate lessee . This case was in relation to 3 flats. The unexpired term as at the valuation date was 71 years.