I am buying a house for cash in Alton. I have lived for the previous 15 years in Alton. Conveyancing searches are a lot of money. Given that I have knowledge of the road and vicinity very well should I not bother getting the solicitor to do all the conveyancing searches?
If you not getting a home loan, then the vast majority of the Alton conveyancing searches are non-obligatory. Your conveyancer will ’encourage you, perhaps strongly, that you should have searches carried out, but she has a professional duty to do this. Do bear in mind; if you are going to dispose of the house at a future date, it could be of importance to your future purchaser what the searches disclose. There are plenty of instances where premises with no practical issues can still reveal unfavourable search results. A good conveyancing solicitor in Alton will provide you some helpful guidance in this regard.
It is 10 years ago since I acquired my home in Alton. Conveyancing lawyers have now been appointed on the sale but I can't find my title documents. Is this a problem?
You need not be too concerned. First the deeds may be with the lender or they could still be with the conveyancers who acted in your purchase. Secondly the likelihood is that the property will be registered at the land registry and you will be able to prove you are the registered owner by your conveyancing solicitors acquiring up to date copy of the land registers. Most conveyancing in Alton relates to registered property but in the rare situation where your home is unregistered it is more of a problem but is resolvable.
My grandmother passed away six months ago and as sole heir and executor I was left the property in Alton. The house had a relatively small loan left on it of around £5k. I want to transfer the title deeds into my name whilst I re-mortgage to Lloyds, pay off the mortgage. Is this allowed?
Given you plan to refinance then Lloyds will require that you use a conveyancer on the Lloyds conveyancing panel. Here is link to the Land Registry online guidance around what to do when a property owner dies. This will help you to understand the registration process behind changing the details re the registered title. in your case it would appear that you are effectively purchasing the property from the estate. Your Lloyds conveyancing panel solicitor pays the new mortgage money into the estate, the estate pays off the old mortgage, the charge is released and you become the owner and the Lloyds mortgage is registered as a charge at the Land Registry.
We are getting a further advance on our home loan from Virgin Money as we intend to carry out a loft conversion to our house in Alton. Are we obliged to choose a high street Alton solicitor on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel to deal with the legals?
Virgin Money would not normally instruct a member of their conveyancing panel to handle the formalities. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Virgin Money panel.
I am currently in the process of buying my council flat in Alton. I have a mortgage agreed with RBS. 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 RBS, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the RBS conveyancing panel.
I can not fathom if my mortgage offer requires a lease extension. I have telephoned my Alton building society branch on various occasions and was advised it wasn't an issue and they would lend. My Alton conveyancing solicitor - who is on the mortgage company conveyancing panel- telephoned and was told they will not lend based on their published requirements. Who do I believe?
As long as the lawyer is on the mortgage company approved list, they must adhere to the CML Handbook conditions for the bank. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that the lender will go ahead, your lawyer has no choice but to refrain from exchanging contract and committing you to the purchase. We would suggest that you ask the bank to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the number of years left on the lease.
The deeds to my house are lost. The conveyancers who dealt with the conveyancing in Alton 5 years ago no longer exist. What do I do?
Assuming the title is registered the details of your proprietorship will be retained by the Land Registry with a Title Number. It is easy to carry out a search at the Land Registry, find your property and order current copies of the property title for a small fee. If the title is Leasehold then the Land Registry will also normally hold a certified duplicate of the Registered Lease and again, a copy can be ordered for £20 inclusive of VAT.