It is a dozen years since I purchased my home in Gipsy Hill. Conveyancing lawyers have now been instructed on the sale but I can't locate my title deeds. Will this jeopardise the sale?
Don’t worry too much. First there is a possibility that the deeds will be retained by the mortgage company or they could be in the possession of the lawyers who oversaw the purchase. Secondly the likelihood is that the property will be recorded at the land registry and you will be able to establish that you are the registered owner by your conveyancing lawyers obtaining up to date copy of the land registers. Nearly all conveyancing in Gipsy Hill relates to registered property but in the rare situation where your property is not registered it adds to the complexity but is not insurmountable.
If you had a top tip for selecting a conveyancing solicitor in Gipsy Hill what would it be?
It would be unwise to be seduced by the lowest Gipsy Hill conveyancing costs illustration. You really do get what you’re paying for when it comes to property lawyers. A cheap quote may mean that the conveyancing solicitor is handling a lot of jobs at one time and you won’t get the quality of service and the attention that you need. It is, however, wise to use a conveyancer who has a fixed fee on a no sale, no fee basis. This way, you go into the conveyancing with your eyes wide open.
The mortgage over my property is with Barclays for my property in Gipsy Hill. Conveyancing has been completed months ago. If I am intending to rent out my property and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a buy-to-let mortgage or inform Barclays?
Your original mortgage agreement with Barclays will provide that you need their approval in advance of renting your property as this is likely to be a breach of Barclays’s mortgage conditions. In many cases banks or building societies will permit you to let out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact Barclays directly. It should not be necessary to do this via a Barclays conveyancing panel firm.
After shopping around on the internet I have found a Gipsy Hill lawyer having made sure that they are on the Nottingham conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?
Nottingham will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Nottingham 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. You may wish to consider appointing your own Gipsy Hill surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller.
Do commercial conveyancing searches disclose planned roadworks that may affect a commercial property in Gipsy Hill?
Its becoming the norm that commercial conveyancing solicitors in Gipsy Hill will execute a SiteSolutions Highways report as it reduces the time that conveyancers invest in investigating accurate data on highways that impact buildings and development assets in Gipsy Hill. The report sets out definitive information on the adoption status of roads, footpaths and verges, as well as the implication of traffic schemes and the rights of way surrounding a commercial development sites in Gipsy Hill.
For every commercial conveyancing transaction in Gipsy Hill it is crucial to investigate the adoption status of roads surrounding a site. Failure to identify developments where adoption procedures have not been dealt with adequately could cause delays to Gipsy Hill commercial conveyancing transactions as well as present a risk to future intentions for the site. These searches are not carried out for residential conveyancing in Gipsy Hill.
I opted to have a survey done on a house in Gipsy Hill before appointing solicitors. I have been told that there is a flying freehold element to the property. Our surveyor advised that some lenders will refuse to issue a mortgage on such a house.
It depends who your proposed lender is. Santander has different requirements for example to Nationwide. Should you wish to call us we can look into this further with the appropriate lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Gipsy Hill. Conveyancing will be smoother if you use a solicitor in Gipsy Hill especially if they are familiar with such properties in Gipsy Hill.
At what stage do I incur the Stamp Duty Land Tax payable for my house transaction in Gipsy Hill?
The majority of solicitors will fill out a stamp duty return on your behalf during your Gipsy Hill conveyancing transaction for you to sign. On completion your property lawyer will submit your STL application to the Tax Authorities and - assuming they have the money - settle any Stamp Duty due on your behalf.