I require conveyancing for an apartment in a fairly new development (6 years built) in St James's. 95% of the properties have already been sold. Do I need carry out the neighbourhood searches as part of conveyancing in St James's?
If you are buying a property with the assistance of a mortgage, your lender will insist on some (many) of the searches so you'll have no choice. If not, then St James's conveyancing searches are optional. No doubt your conveyancer, will 'advise', perhaps strongly, that you should not go ahead without searches, but he or she is duty bound in this regard. One thing to bear in mind; if you are likely to sell the house one day, it may be of interest to your future buyer what the searches contain. Sometimes houses with no practical issues can still throw up adverse search results. But if you insist that your lawyer to proceed without searches then your lawyer will have to follow your instructions or ask you to appoint a different lawyer for your conveyancing in St James's.
Finally the sale completed on my house in St James's last January yet the purchaser is SMS messaging every few hours complaining that her solicitor needs to hear from mine. What should have happened now that I have sold?
After completion of your disposal your lawyer should send the transfer deeds and all additional paperwork to the buyer’s conveyancer. Depending on the transaction, your conveyancer should also confirm that the mortgage has been paid off to the purchasers conveyancers. There is unlikely to be post completion procedures unique to conveyancing in St James's.
My wife and I are selling our property in St James's and according to the buyers it appears that there is a risk of it being constructed on contaminated land. Any local lawyer would know this is not the case. It does beg the question why the buyers are using a web based conveyancing firm as opposed to a conveyancing solicitor in St James's. We have lived in St James's for six years we know of no issue. Should we contact our local Authority to obtain clarification need.
It sounds as though you may have a conveyancing lawyer already. Are they able to advise? You should check with your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out health insurance to cover that same ailment)
How does conveyancing in St James's differ for new build properties?
Most buyers of new build residence in St James's come to us having been asked by the builder to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the house is finished. This is because new home sellers in St James's 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 conveyancers 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 accustomed to new build conveyancing in St James's or who has acted in the same development.
I am looking for a leasehold apartment up to £245,000 and identified one round the corner in St James's I like with amenity areas and transport links nearby, the downside is that it only has 61 years on the lease. I can't really find anything else in St James's in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake purchasing a short lease?
If you need a home loan that many years may be an issue. Discount the price by the amount the lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing proprietor has owned the property for at least twenty four months you may request that they start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease term and have £0 ground rent by law. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer about this matter.