It is 10 years ago since I purchased my home in Harefield. Conveyancing solicitors have recently been instructed on the sale but I can't track down the title deeds. Is this a major issue?
Don’t worry too much. First there is a possibility that the deeds will be retained by the lender or they may be archived with the solicitor who oversaw the purchase. Secondly in all probability the property will be registered at the land registry and you will be able to prove you own the property by your conveyancing lawyers procuring up to date copy of the land registers. Nearly all conveyancing in Harefield involves registered property but in the unlikely event that your property is not registered it adds to the complexity but is resolvable.
Me and my partner are buying a property in Harefield. It might be a silly question but how we can trust a lawyer? At some point we will need to deposit our life savings into their account. What protection do we have from them run away with our deposit?
Be assured that all money in a Solicitors client account is 100% safe, and even if your Solicitor ran off with it, the Law Society would reimburse you fully.
I am selling my house. I had a double glazing fitted in May 2008, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My buyer's lender, Nottingham are being difficult. The Harefield solicitor who is on the Nottingham conveyancing panel is recommending indemnity insurance as a solution but Nottingham are insisting on a building regulation certificate. Why do Nottingham have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?
It is probably the case that Nottingham have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Nottingham may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing was correctly and safely installed. The indemnity insurance merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.
Having read lots 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 Harefield solicitor - who is on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. Is that normal?
Leeds Building Society will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Leeds Building Society 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 Harefield postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Leeds Building Society, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Harefield.
I have justfound out that Action Conveyancing have closed. They carried out my conveyancing in Harefield for a purchase of a leasehold apartment 12 months ago. How can I be sure that the property is registered correctly in the name of the former proprietor?
The easiest way to check if the premises is in your name, you can make a search of the land registry (£3.00). You can either do this yourself or ask a law firm to do this for you. If you are not registered you can seek help from one of a number of Harefield conveyancing specialists.
I opted to have a survey carried out on a house in Harefield before retaining conveyancers. I have been told that there is a flying freehold aspect to the property. My surveyor has said that some lenders tend refuse to grant a mortgage on a flying freehold home.
It depends who your proposed lender is. HSBC has different requirements from Halifax. If you call us we can check 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 Harefield. Conveyancing may be slightly more expensive based on your lender's requirements.
Do I need to be concerned by estate agents that I am dealing with are encouraging me to use a national conveyancing firm as opposed to a local Harefield conveyancing firm?
As with many professional services, often input from relatives can be worth their weight in gold. Yet there are lots of parties with a vested interest in a conveyancing matter; estate agents, mortgage brokers and mortgage companies may recommend lawyers to appoint. Sometimes the solicitors might be known to one of the organisations as experts in their field, but occasionally there might be a financial incentive behind the recommendation. You are free to appoint your own conveyancer. You need to be aware that some lenders operate an approved list of lawyers you have to use for the mortgage aspect of your house move.