I was referred a conveyancer who has given a fee estimate £1700 for no sale no fee conveyancing in St Mellons. I’m looking to sell a Edwardian detached home for £175,000. Are these estimated fees excessive? Is it in excess of the average fee for conveyancing in St Mellons?
The estimate does seem marginally overpriced. If you are prepared to expend time comparing costs you may be able to get the conveyancing a bit cheaper by say £125. On the other hand, you couldlive to regret choosing an an unknown lawyer. Don't forget to be sure that the solicitor can also act for your mortgage company. Do make use of our search tool to find a St Mellons conveyancing practice on the lender’s approved list of lawyers which can often include conveyancing solicitors in St Mellons.
is it true that all St Mellons solicitor practices on the Barclays conveyancing panel are governed by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority?
As a firm of solicitors, in order to be on the Barclays approved list of solicitors they would need to be governed by the SRA. Some banks do permit licenced conveyancers on their panel and in such a situation the organisation would be regulated by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.
We have agreed to purchase a house in St Mellons. A rare aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Solicitors conducting should look into this right? Will my lender Co-operative be concerned?
As your lender is Co-operative your lawyer must check the formal instructions set out in Section 2 of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Co-operative. The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook stipulates minimum specifications for solar panel roof-space leases, and lawyers are required to report to Co-operative where a lease does not satisfy these requirements. The provisions relate to the installation of panels on properties countrywide and is not limited to St Mellons.
I am currently in the process of buying my council flat in St Mellons. I have a mortgage offer with Nottingham. Conveyancing is new to me. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should use one. Any advice?
It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with Nottingham, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Nottingham conveyancing panel.
I own a renovated Victorian property in St Mellons. Conveyancing practitioner acted for me and TSB. I did a free Land Registry search last week and I saw a couple of entries: the first freehold, the second leasehold with the matching address. I'd like to know for sure, how can I find out??
You should read the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register as there may be mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in St Mellons and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they remortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with mortgage companies. You can also check the situation with your conveyancing solicitor who conducted the conveyancing.
How does conveyancing in St Mellons differ for new build properties?
Most buyers of new build residence in St Mellons approach us having been asked by the housebuilder to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the residence is built. This is because developers in St Mellons usually purchase 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 property lawyers 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 Mellons or who has acted in the same development.
I am looking for a leasehold apartment up to £235,500 and identified one round the corner in St Mellons I like with open areas and transport links in the vicinity, however it only has 52 years unexpired on the lease. There is not much else in St Mellons for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error buying a short lease?
Should you need a home loan the shortness of the lease will likely be a potential deal breaker. Discount the offer by the amount the lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing proprietor has owned the property for a minimum of twenty four months you may ask them to commence the lease extension formalities and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease term with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing solicitor about this.