I am assisting my step-mother sell her house in The Park. Will the conveyancing solicitor arrange the energy performance certificate or should I organise this?

Following the demise of Home Packs, energy performance certificates remained a required component of moving property. An EPC must be commissioned before the property is marketed. This is not a task that solicitors ordinarily organise. If you are instructing a The Park conveyancing solicitor they might be able to arrange energy assessments due to their contacts with reputable The Park accredited person

When it comes to lenders such as Virgin Money, do The Park lawyers face a yearly amount to be on the list of approved solicitors?

We are not aware of any mortgage company fees to register on their list of approved firms, although some do levy an administration charge to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel submission.

The formalities of my remortgage has taken place for my property in The Park. Conveyancing was of an acceptable standard but I would like to complain about the lender. How do I make a complaint?

All banks and building societies have complaints procedures. Your first port of call should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Care Team at head office. Ordinarily complaints to a lender are resolved effectively and efficiently. If you feel the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service with full details of your complaint.

Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to my property are lost. The solicitors who did the conveyancing in The Park 10 years ago no longer exist. What are my options?

These day there are duplicates made of almost everything, and your solicitor will be aware exactly where to find all the relevant paperwork so you can purchase or sell your property without a hitch. Where copies can’t be located, your solicitor may be able to arrange cover in the form of insurance or indemnities against future claims on your property.

I am buying a new build house in The Park with the aid of help to buy. The developers refused to reduce the price so I negotiated 6k of additionals instead. The estate agent advised me not to tell my solicitor about this extras as it may put at risk my mortgage with the bank. Should I keep quiet?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the developer of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.

Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.

Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.

I am 3 weeks into a residential purchase having been recommend to conveyancers by the estate agent to handle our conveyancing in The Park. I am am very frustrated with the level of service. Could you help me find new solicitors?

They would need to be very bad in order to consider diss instructing them. Has your mortgage offer been sent? If so you need to advise them of the new contact details and ensure the mortgage documents are re-sent. Your new solicitor ideally should be on the lenders approved list to avoid supplemental costs and delays. That should be your starting point. The find a solicitor tool can assist you in finding a lender approved conveyancer for your home move in The Park

I've recently bought a leasehold flat in The Park. Am I liable to pay service charges for periods before my ownership?

In a situation where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous owner and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. Strange as it may seem, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. A critical element of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to ensure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.

If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).

Leasehold Conveyancing in The Park - A selection of Questions you should ask before Purchasing

How is the lease structured? Please note if it is no more than 80 years it will impact the value of the apartment. Check with your mortgage company that they are content with remaining years on the lease. A short lease means that you will probably require a lease extension sooner rather than later and you need to have some idea of what this will be. For most The Parklease extensions you will be required to have been the owner of the residence for 24 months in order to be legally able to exercise a lease extension. Are any of leasehold owners in arrears of their service charge liability?