What is the difference between a licensed conveyancer and conveyancing solicitor in St Albans

There are two types of lawyers who can conduct conveyancing in St Albans namely CLC regulated conveyancers or solicitors. The two can handle conveyancing services that you need to complete the sale or acquisition of property. They are both duty bound to carry out St Albans conveyancing on similar quality and guidelines so you can be sure that your conveyancing will be professionally administered and that the necessary steps will be suitably adhered to.

Does a directory service exist listing Virgin Money panel conveyancers in St Albans on the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook Website?

Unfortunately not yet. There is no such tool on the CML or Building Society Association websites. A small selection of lenders make their panel listings open the public online. Where you are seeking to appoint a St Albans lawyer on the Virgin Money please make the most of our facility.

I am selling my apartment. I had a double glazing fitted in January 2010, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My purchaser’s mortgage company, Virgin Money are being a right pain. The St Albans solicitor who is on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel is saying indemnity insurance will be fine but Virgin Money are insisting on a building regulation certificate. Why do Virgin Money have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?

It is probably the case that Virgin Money have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Virgin Money 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.

Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly picked up as part of conveyancing in St Albans?

Covenants that are restrictive in nature can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the process of conveyancing in St Albans. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’

Over the last few months I have been searching for a flat up to £305k and identified one close by in St Albans I like with amenity areas and railway links in the vicinity, the downside is that it's only got 51 years on the lease. I can't really find anything else in St Albans for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake buying a short lease?

Should you require a home loan the shortness of the lease will be problematic. Reduce the price by the amount the lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current proprietor has owned the property for a minimum of 2 years you may ask them to start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the current lease term with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer about this.

What is different about your site and other web based conveyancing solicitors when it comes to conveyancing in St Albans?

At this site obtain an accurate quote from a Solicitor or Licensed Conveyancer that appreciates the issues for your conveyancing in St Albans. As opposed to estate agents and brokerage sites we do not charge firms a fee if you appoint them for your property ownership legalities in St Albans

What advice can you give us when it comes to choosing a St Albans conveyancing practice to deal with our lease extension?

When appointing a property lawyer for your lease extension (regardless if they are a St Albans conveyancing practice) it is essential that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We recommend that you talk with several firms including non St Albans conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. Where the conveyancing practice is ALEP accredited then so much the better. The following questions could be of use:

How familiar is the firm with lease extension legislation?

St Albans Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Examples of Queries before buying

For most St Albans leaseholds the outlay for major works tend not to be incorporated into the maintenance charges, albeit that a few managing agents in St Albans obliged leaseholders to pay into a sinking fund and this is used to offset against larger repairs or maintenance. What prohibitions are there in the St Albans Lease? Most St Albans leasehold apartments will be liable to pay a service charge for the upkeep of the block levied on behalf of the landlord. Should you purchase the flat you will have to pay this liability, usually periodically throughout the year. This could differ from a couple of hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for blocks with lifts and large common areas. In all probability there will be a ground rent to be met annual, this is usually not a exorbitant figure, say approximately £50-£100 but you should to check it because on occasion it can be many hundreds of pounds.