The owners have very assertive vendors who has insisted on a lock out agreement with a non-refundable deposit 6,000. Is it wise to enter into such agreements?
This form of arrangement isn't common in St Albans, conveyancers will often sway clients away from them as they divert attention from the primary focus, namely conveyancing and if you end up having your deposit forfeited then the solicitor at best left with an upset client and at worst a litigious one. In addition, there is no guarantee that just because the proprietor has executed a lock out contract they will sell to you. They may be tempted to break the agreement if they are offered sufficient financial inducement to do so because an aggrieved claimant with the benefit of a exclusivity agreement will still have to show losses as a consequence of the breach and this may not equate the extra amount that the owner may gain by breaking the agreement, however morally shameful that may be.
It is a dozen years since I acquired my house in St Albans. Conveyancing solicitors have recently been retained on the sale but I am unable to track down the deeds. Will this cause complications?
You need not be too concerned. First the deeds may be with your mortgage company or they may be in the possession of the lawyers who acted in the purchase. Secondly the chances are that the property will be registered at the land registry and you will be able to prove you own the property by your conveyancing lawyers obtaining current official copies of the land registers. Most conveyancing in St Albans relates to registered property but in the unlikely event that your property is not registered it adds to the complexity but is not insurmountable.
Have just purchased a repossessed house at auction in St Albans. Conveyancing is required. What happens now?
Now that you are for in every practical sense signed on the dotted line you should hire the services of a conveyancing lawyer quickly as you will have a pending deadline in which to complete the transaction. An auction property will ordinarily have a corresponding auction pack. This will likely include the copy title deeds, local authority and drainage searches. If you have purchased leasehold property the legal pack should provide a copy of the lease, management information and a sellers leasehold information form and associated conveyancing documentation specific to a leasehold property. You should give this to the lawyer instructed by you as soon as possible. Do make sure that that you have the requisite funding in place to complete the transaction on the set completion date.
We are getting a further advance on our mortgage from Barclays as we wish to conduct alterations to our house in St Albans. Are we obliged to choose a nearby St Albans solicitor on the Barclays conveyancing panel to handle the legals?
Barclays don't usually instruct a member of their conveyancing panel to handle the formalities. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Barclays conveyancing panel.
We have a mortgage agreed in principle with Aldermore. St Albans conveyancing practitioners have been instructed. What is the average time that one could expect to receive a mortgage offer from Aldermore?
Some lenders take longer than others. Have Aldermore done the valuation? Have you advised Aldermore as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the Aldermore conveyancing panel? Sometimes it can take as long as six weeks for a mortgage offer to be issued.
I am downsizing from my house. My past lawyers has retired. It would be helpful to have a recommendation of a conveyancing firm. I happen to live in St Albans if that makes a difference.
Please use our search tool to help you choose a solicitor for your conveyancing in St Albans. We have connected thousands of home buyers and sellers with regulated solicitors to ensure that the legalities of their house move runs with a minimum of fuss.
Is it best to go with a St Albans conveyancing lawyer based in the vicinity that I am hoping to buy? An old friend can execute the legal work but they are based over three hundred kilometers away.
The benefit of a high street St Albans conveyancing firm is that you can visit the firm to sign paperwork, hand in your identification documents and apply pressure on them where appropriate. Having local St Albans know how is a bonus. That being said nothing is more important than finding someone that will pull out all the stops for you. If other friends have instructed your friend and in the main were impressed that should trump using an unfamiliar St Albans conveyancing solicitor just because they are local.