I am expecting a offer of a home loan from Santander. My intention is to use a Licensed Conveyancer in Shifnal. Does the Santander Solicitor panel exclude conveyancers regulated by the CLC?

The Santander conveyancing panel is, like many other lenders, associated to the Council or Mortgage Lenders or BSA, open to Licensed Conveyancers regulated by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.

Having sold my house in Shifnal last September but my buyer keeps SMS messaging daily complaining that her lawyer is waiting to hear from mysolicitor. What are the post completion sale formalities following completion?

Following your sale your solicitor is committed to send the transfer documentation and all additional paperwork to the buyer’s conveyancer. Depending on the transaction, your solicitor should also send confirmation that the mortgage has been paid off to the purchasers conveyancers. There are no post completion formalities peculiar conveyancing in Shifnal.

Me and my partner are buying a flat in Shifnal. I might seem paranoid but how we can trust a solicitor? On completion day we have to deposit our life savings into their account. What is the protection 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.

Forgive me if this question is silly but I am unseasoned as FTB of a two bedroom flat in Shifnal. Do I pick up the keys to the property on completion from my conveyancer? If this is the case, I will find a High Street conveyancing solicitor in Shifnal?

There is no need to visit the lawyers office on the day of completion. Your solicitors will arrange to send the purchase money to the seller's solicitors, and shortly after the monies have arrived, you will be invited to receive the keys from the selling Agents and start moving into the property. This tends to happen between 1 and 3pm.

We have agreed to purchase a house in Shifnal. A rare aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Virgin Money have issued a mortgage offer so presumably this is not a concern to them. Why is my solicitor raising questions about the panel?

As you are obtaining a mortgage with Virgin Money your lawyer must check the formal requirements set out in Section two of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Virgin Money. The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook contains minimum requirements for solar panel roof-space leases, and solicitors are required to report to Virgin Money where a lease does not meet these provisions. The conditions relate to the installation of panels on properties countrywide and is not restricted to Shifnal.

I have todaybecome aware that Stirling Law have closed. They carried out my conveyancing in Shifnal for a purchase of a freehold house 18 months ago. How can I check that my home is in my name in the name of the former proprietor?

The quickest way to check if the property 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 Shifnal conveyancing specialists.

I am attracted to a couple of maisonettes in Shifnal which have approximately forty five years remaining on the leases. Will this present a problem?

There are no two ways about it. A leasehold apartment in Shifnal is a wasting asset as a result of the reducing lease term. The closer the lease gets to zero years unexpired, the more it adversely affects the salability of the premises. For most purchasers and banks, leases with less than eighty years become less and less attractive. On a more positive note, leaseholders can extend their leases by serving a Section 42 Notice. One stipulation is that they must have owned the property for two years (unlike a Section 13 notice for purchasing the freehold, when leaseholders can participate from day one of ownership). When successful, they will have the right to an extension of 90 years to the current term and ground rent is effectively reduced to zero. Before moving forward with a purchase of premises with a short lease term remaining you should talk to a solicitor specialising in lease extensions and leasehold enfranchisement. We are are happy to put you in touch with Shifnal conveyancing experts who will explain the options available to you during an initial telephone conversation free of charge. A more straightforward and quicker method of extending would be to contact your landlord directly and sound him out on the prospect of extending the lease. You may find he or she is happy to negotiate informally and willing to consider your offer straight off, without having to involve anyone else. This will save you time and money and it could help you reach a lower price on the lease. You need to ensure that the agreed terms represent good long-term value compared with the standard benefits of the Section 42 Notice and that onerous clauses are not inserted into any redrafting of the lease.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Shifnal - Examples of Questions you should consider before buying

If a Shifnal lease has fewer than eighty years it will impact the value of the property. Check with your mortgage company that they are content with residual term of the lease. Leases with less than 80 years remaining means that you will most likely have to extend the lease sooner rather than later and you need to have some idea of what this will be. For most Shifnallease extensions you would need to own the residence for two years in order to be legally able to extend the lease. Plenty Shifnal leasehold properties will have a service charge for maintenance of the building levied by the management company. Where you acquire the apartment you will have to pay this amount, usually quarterly during the year. This could be anything from a few hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for large purpose-built buildings. There will also be a rentcharge for you to pay annual, this is usually not a exorbitant sum, say around £25-£75 but you need to check it because sometimes it can be prohibitively expensive. Make sure you find out if the the lease contains any unreasonable restrictions in the lease. By way of example some leases prohibit pets being allowed in in a block in Shifnal. If you love the propertyin Shifnal but your cat can’t live with you then you will be faced difficult compromise.