I am helping my step-mother sell her flat in Netherne. Does the solicitor order the energy performance certificate or it is for the owner to see to?

After the demise of HIPs, EPC’s was maintained a mandatory component of moving property. An energy assessment should be commissioned in advance of the property being marketed. It is not a task that law firms normally arrange. Where you are instructing a Netherne conveyancing practitioner they might be willing to arrange energy assessments given their relationships with long established local accredited person

We are getting the release of further monies on our mortgage from Clydesdale as we intend to carry out alterations to our house in Netherne. Do we need to appoint a high street Netherne solicitor on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel to handle the paperwork?

Clydesdale do not ordinarily instruct firms on their approved list of lawyers to handle such a matter. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Clydesdale list.

After weeks of negotiation I have agreed a price on a house in Netherne. My mortgage broker recommended their conveyancers. I paid an upfront payment of £175. A few days later, the conveyancer contacted me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?

You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Virgin Money panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.

How does conveyancing in Netherne differ for newly converted properties?

Most buyers of new build premises in Netherne approach us having been asked by the builder to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the residence is built. This is because developers in Netherne usually 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 conveyancing solicitors 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 used to new build conveyancing in Netherne or who has acted in the same development.

I am looking into buying my first house which is in Netherne and I am already nervous. I couldn't find anything specific about Netherne. Conveyancing will be needed in due course but do you know about the Netherne area? or perhaps some other tips you can share?

Rather than looking online forget looking online you should go and have a look at Netherne. In the meantime here are some basic statistics that we found

I have recently realised that I have Seventy years left on my flat in Netherne. I now want to extend my lease but my freeholder is can not be found. What are my options?

On the basis that you qualify, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the County Court for for permission to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will enable the lease to be granted an extra 90 years by the Court. You will be obliged to demonstrate that you or your lawyers have done all that could be expected to track down the freeholder. For most situations a specialist may be useful to conduct investigations and to produce a report to be used as evidence that the landlord is indeed missing. It is wise to seek advice from a conveyancer in relation to proving the landlord’s disappearance and the application to the County Court overseeing Netherne.

My wife and I have hit a brick wall in trying to reach an agreement for a lease extension in Netherne. Can the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal adjudicate on premiums?

if there is a absentee landlord or if there is dispute about what the lease extension should cost, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 it is possible to make an application to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) to determine the amount due.

An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement matter before the tribunal for a Netherne flat is 223 Brighton Road in September 2013. The premium payable for the acquisition freehold of the properties should be £10,934 (Ten thousand,nine hundred and thirty four pounds) This case was in relation to 3 flats. The unexpired residue of the current lease was 75 years.

We are buying a 2 bedroom maisonettein Netherne with a residential mortgage from a bank. We have selected a lawyer in Netherne yet our bank says he's not approved on their "panel". It seems we have little choice but to instruct one of the our lender panel firms or keep our Netherne conveyancer and pay for one of their panel ones to represent our lender. We feel as though this is unjust; is there anything we can do?

No, not really. The lender mortgage issued is subject to conditions, one of which will be that solicitors will on the lender's conveyancing panel. in the past, most lenders had open panels, including most conveyancing solicitors in Netherne : a mortgagee could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. A further alternative is for your solicitors to apply to be on the conveyancing panel for your lender.