I just acquired a house at auction in Woodlands. Conveyancing is necessary. What are my next steps?

Having legally bound yourself to purchase you now have to instruct a conveyancing lawyer quickly as you will have a fast approaching a drop dead date to complete the conveyancing. An auction property will have a corresponding legal pack. This should include most,if not all of the paperwork that your solicitor requires. Where you are dealing with leasehold premises the auction papers may contain a copy of the lease, management information and a sellers leasehold information form and associated conveyancing documentation pertinent to a leasehold property. You need to give this to the solicitor instructed by you ASAP. Do make sure that your finances are in place to complete on the on the contractual date .

I currently have a mortgage with Nottingham for my property in Woodlands. Conveyancing was finalised 12 months ago. If I am intending to rent out my property and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a buy-to-let mortgage or inform Nottingham?

Your original mortgage agreement with Nottingham will provide that you need their approval in advance of renting your property as this is likely to be a breach of Nottingham’s mortgage conditions. In many cases banks or building societies will permit you to let out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact Nottingham directly. It should not be necessary to do this via a Nottingham conveyancing panel lawyer.

My offer on a house in Woodlands has been agreed to, the owners do however have an associated purchase. The vendors have offered on a property, however it’s not yet agreed to, and have viewings of other apartments in the pipeline. I have instructed a high street conveyancing solicitor in Woodlands. What should be my next step? When do I get the mortgage application with Virgin Money started?

It is usual to have apprehensions where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to be too out of pocket prematurely (home loan application is in the region of one thousand pounds, then survey, Woodlands conveyancing search fees, etc). The first course of action is to ensure that your property lawyer is on the Virgin Money approved list. Regarding the subsequent stages this very much dictated by the specifics of your transaction, desire for this property and on the state of the market. In a buoyant market some home buyers will apply for a home loan with Virgin Money and arrange for the valuation and only if it was satisfactory would they request their property lawyer to move forward with the conveyancing in Woodlands.

Will our solicitor be asking questions regarding flooding during the conveyancing in Woodlands.

The risk of flooding is if increasing concern for lawyers dealing with homes in Woodlands. Plenty of people will acquire a house in Woodlands, fully aware that at some time, it may suffer from flooding. However, aside from the physical destruction, where a house is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to get a mortgage, adequate building insurance, or dispose of the property. Steps can be carried out as part of the conveyancing process to forewarn the purchaser.

Conveyancers are not best placed to impart advice on flood risk, however there are a number of checks that may be carried out by the purchaser or on a buyer’s behalf which can figure out the risks in Woodlands. The conventional set of completed inquiry forms supplied to a purchaser’s conveyancer (where the Conveyancing Protocol is adopted) incorporates a usual question of the owner to discover if the premises has ever been flooded. In the event that the residence has been flooded in past which is not disclosed by the vendor, then a purchaser could commence a legal claim for losses as a result of such an incorrect reply. The buyer’s conveyancers may also commission an environmental report. This will indicate if there is a recorded flood risk. If so, further inquiries should be made.

I've recently found out that there is a flying freehold issue on a house I have offered on last month in what was supposed to be a quick, chain free conveyancing. Woodlands is where the house is located. Can you offer any guidance?

Flying freeholds in Woodlands are unusual but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside Woodlands you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds diligently. Your bank may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Woodlands may determine that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold premises.

I am looking for a conveyancing solicitor in Woodlands for my purchase. Is there any facility to review a solicitor's record with the profession’s regulator?

One can review published Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) decisions arising from investigations from 2008 onwards. Visit Check a solicitor's record. To find information about the period before 1 January 2008, or to check a solicitors record, telephone 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and 09.30 - 18.00 Tuesday. For callers outside the UK, use +44 (0)121 329 6800. The SRA may recorded call for training reasons.

I have been searching for Woodlands online conveyancing estimates. Can I be assured that all the Woodlands law firms that are listed on your website are on the bank conveyancing panel?

The law firms on our directory have advised us that they are on the mortgage company panel and agreed to advise us to take down their listing in the event of removal off of the mortgage company panel. To date we have not been informed by either a lender or a member of the public that the data about a specific Woodlands conveyancing solicitor being on the lender conveyancing panel is not accurate.