Me and my partner are purchasing property in Rye. My property lawyer has never been on on the mortgage company approved list. Is it possible for me to continue with my Rye conveyancing solicitor notwithstanding that they are not on the lender approved list?

You must appoint a property lawyer to complete the legal work required if you need a mortgage to buy your home. The lawyer will carry out all the essential legal checks on the property, make sure that you will be properly registered as the owner and ensure that all the required mortgage documentation is in place. You could instruct a Rye conveyancer of your choice. Nevertheless, where the conveyancer appointed is not on the lender solicitor panel supplemental charges will be incurred as separate legal representation will be required by them. Conveyancing panel applications may be submitted, so if your conveyancer has not historically applied for membership they can do so.

At what point will exchange of contracts happen for purchase conveyancing in Rye and am I required to be at the solicitors branch?

Where you are in close proximity to one of the conveyancing solicitors in Rye you are invited in to sign documents. That being said, the law practices we recommend provide countrywide coverage for conveyancing and provide as equally detailed and professional a job for you when dealing with you by post or email. The executing of the property agreement is not when everything is set in stone. A signed contract is just a prerequisite for the firm to address the formalities when the time is right, which is ordinarily shortly after signing. The procedure is is usually a five minute process, although where a long "chain" is in the mix, since the process requires the relevant party's solicitor (not necessarily a conveyancing solicitor in Rye)to be in the office at the appropriate time.

We had appointed solicitors locally in Rye on the Yorkshire BS solicitor approved list. They are now charging me a further charge for dealing with the Yorkshire BS mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee specified by Yorkshire BS?

Unfortunately, so long as it is in their Terms of Engagement or Quote then yes your solicitor may levy a fee for this. The charge is not dictated by Yorkshire BS but by your Rye lawyer. Plenty of firms on the Yorkshire BS panel will charge an ‘acting for lender’ fee and others do not.

My husband and I are in the throws of viewing houses in Rye and I am about to put in an offer. Should I already have a solicitor appointed at this stage? I am planning to take a mortgage with Virgin Money.

You should start requesting conveyancing quotes from solicitors ASAP. After you have chosen your lawyer and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and forward their details on to the EA. As you are obtaining a mortgage with Virgin Money, make sure you remember to check that your lawyer is on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel.

The formalities of my purchase has taken place for my property in Rye. Conveyancing was of an acceptable standard but I feel I should register my dissatisfaction about the lender. How does one go about formally complaining?

Almost all banks and building societies have complaints procedures. Your first point of contact should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Services Team at head office. Ordinarily complaints to a lender are sorted out effectively and efficiently. If you feel the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service, South Quay Plaza, 183 Marsh Wall, London E14 9SR who will take matters further.

It has been 3 months following my purchase conveyancing in Rye completed. I have checked the Land Registry website which shows that I paid £175,000 when infact I paid £215,000. Why the discrepancy?

The price paid figure is taken from the application to register the purchase. It is the figure included in the Transfer (the legal deed which transfers the residence from one person to the other) and referred to as the 'consideration' or purchase price. You can report an error in the price paid figure using the LR online form. In most cases errors result from typos so at first glance the figure. Do report it so they can double check and advise.

I today plan to offer on a house that seems to tick a lot of boxes, at a great figure which is making it more attractive. I have just found out that the title is leasehold as opposed to freehold. I am assuming that there are particular concerns purchasing a leasehold house in Rye. Conveyancing solicitors have are soon to be appointed. Will they explain the issues?

Most houses in Rye are freehold rather than leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local conveyancer used to dealing with such properties who can assist with the conveyancing process. We note that you are buying in Rye so you should seriously consider looking for a Rye conveyancing solicitor and be sure that they are used to advising on leasehold houses. First you will need to check the unexpired lease term. As a leaseholder you will not be at liberty to do whatever you want with the house. The lease comes with conditions such as obtaining the landlord’sconsent to carry out changes to the property. It may be necessary to pay a contribution towards the maintenance of the estate where the house is located on an estate. Your lawyer should advise you fully on all the issues.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Rye - Examples of Queries before buying

Best to be warned if a new roof is being installed or some other major work is due in the foreseeable future to be shared by the leaseholders and could well materially impact the level of the service charges or result in a one time invoice. If a Rye lease has fewer than eighty years it will affect the value of the apartment. It is worth checking with your mortgage company that they are willing to lend given the lease term. Leases with less than 80 years remaining means that you will most likely require a lease extension sooner rather than later and you need to have some idea of how much this would cost. Remember, in most cases you will need to own the residence for a couple of years in order to be eligible to exercise a lease extension. It would be sensible to find out as much as you can concerning the company managing the block as they will affect your use and enjoyment of the property. Being a leasehold owner you are frequently at the mercy of the managing agents both financially and when it comes to every day issues like the cleanliness of the communal areas. Enquire of prospective neighbours what they think of their management. In conclusion, find out the dates that the service fees are due to the appropriate party and specifically how they are spending the funds.