Would the conveyancing solicitors that you recommend perform right to buy conveyancing in Whitby?

We do have numerous conveyancing specialists carrying out right to buy transactions You should call us to get a conveyancing quote.

I am the registered owner of a freehold property in Whitby but nevertheless invoiced for rent, why is this and what is this?

It is rare for properties in Whitby and has limited impact for conveyancing in Whitby but some freehold properties in England (particularly common in North West England) pay an annual sum known as a Chief Rent or a Rentcharge to a third party who has no other legal interest in the land.

Rentcharge payments are usually between £2.00 and £5.00 per year. Rentcharges have existed for hundreds of years, but the Rent Charge Act 1977 barred the creation of fresh rentcharges from 1977 onwards.

Old rentcharges can now be redeemed by making a one off payment under the Act. Any rentcharges that are still in existence in 2037 is to be dispensed with completely.

I just acquired a house at auction in Whitby. Conveyancing is needed. What happens now?

Given that you have now exchanged you now have to hire the services of a conveyancing lawyer as a matter of priority as you will have a pending a drop dead date to complete the property. An auction property will ordinarily have an associated auction set of papers. This will include most,if not all of the documents that your conveyancer will need. If you have purchased leasehold premises the conveyancing pack may provide a copy of the lease, management information and a sellers leasehold information form and other conveyancing paperwork pertinent to leasehold premises. You should pass this on to the conveyancer working for you ASAP. You also need to ensure that your finances are in order to complete on the date specified in the contract.

The formalities of my purchase has taken place for my property in Whitby. Conveyancing was a necessary evil but I feel I should register my dissatisfaction about the lender. How does one go about formally complaining?

All lenders have complaints procedures. Your first point of contact should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Care Department at head office. In most cases complaints to a lender are sorted out effectively and efficiently. However if you are not satisfied that the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service, South Quay Plaza, 183 Marsh Wall, London E14 9SR with full details of your complaint.

After weeks of negotiation I have agreed a price on a house in Whitby. My mortgage broker pressured me to appoint their lawyer. I paid an advanced payment of £150. A few days later, the lawyer contacted me embarrassingly acknowledging that they were not on the Nationwide conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?

You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Nationwide panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.

I'm buying a new build house in Whitby benefiting from help to buy. The sellers would not reduce the amount so I negotiated £7000 of additionals instead. The property agent suggested that I not inform my solicitor about this side-deal as it could put at risk my loan with the lender. Do I keep my lawyer in the dark?.

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.

Am I best advised to choose a Whitby conveyancing solicitor based in the location that I am buying? An old friend can execute the legal work however her office is 400kilometers away.

The primary upside of using a local Whitby conveyancing practice is that you can pop in to sign paperwork, hand in your identification documents and pester them if necessary. They will also have local insight which is a benefit. However it's more important to get someone that will do a good and efficient job. If other friends have instructed your friend and they were content that should outweigh using an unfamiliar Whitby conveyancing solicitor just because they are based in the area.