How do I find out if the solicitor carrying out my conveyancing in Crediton is on the mortgage lender’sconveyancing panel? I am looking to avoid the situation of having one lawyer for me and one for Leeds Building Society thus spending £187.00 plus VAT in another set of conveyancing bill.

Feel free to take advantage of the find a conveyancing panel solicitor tool on this site. Please choose the mortgage company and type ‘Crediton’ or your location and you will be presented with a number of lawyer based in Crediton or nearest you.

I am helping my sister sell her flat in Crediton. Will the solicitor commission an energy assessment or do I organise this?

Following the abolition of HIPs, energy performance certificates was retained a mandatory component of moving property. An energy assessment needs to be to hand prior to the property being placed on the market. It is not something that lawyers normally arrange. If you are using a Crediton conveyancing lawyer they may help arrange energy performance certificates given their relationships with reputable local energy assessors

I just acquired a house at auction in Crediton. Conveyancing is necessary. What happens now?

Now that you have exchanged you must choose a conveyancing lawyer quickly as you will have a pending deadline in which to complete the purchase. An auction property will ordinarily have a corresponding legal pack. This should include evidence of title and search results. In the case of leasehold property the legal papers should contain a copy of the lease, management information and a sellers leasehold information form and other conveyancing paperwork relating to leasehold premises. You should give this to your appointed conveyancing solicitor as soon as possible. You also need to ensure that your finances are in order to complete on the on the contractual date .

My stepmother advised me that in buying a property in Crediton there may be a number of restrictions preventing external alterations to the property. Is this right?

We are aware of a number of properties in Crediton which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to external changes. Part of the conveyancing in Crediton should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.

My wife and I purchased a semi-detached Victorian property in Crediton. Conveyancing solicitor acted for me and Nationwide Building Society. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and I saw a couple of entries: one for freehold, the second leasehold under the exact same property. I'd like to know for sure, how can I find out??

You need to assess 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 Crediton and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they sell they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with lenders. You can also enquire as to the situation with the conveyancing practitioner who conducted the conveyancing.

I am a couple of weeks into a leasehold purchase having been referred to solicitors by the high street agent to handle our conveyancing in Crediton. We are not happy. Can you help me find new conveyancers?

They would need to be really bad to suggest diss instructing them. Has your mortgage been sent? If so you must advise them of the new contact details and ensure the mortgage documents are issued to the new lawyers. Your solicitor ideally should be on the banks panel to avoid supplemental costs and delays. So that should be your first question of the new solicitors. The find a solicitor tool should help you find a lender approved solicitor for your home move in Crediton

I have just appointed agents to market my garden flat in Crediton. Conveyancing solicitors are to be appointed soon, however I have just received a yearly service charge invoice – what should I do?

Your conveyancing lawyer is likely to suggest that you should pay the invoice as normal given that all ground rent and service charges should be allotted on completion, so you should recover the relevant percentage by the buyer for the period running from after the completion date to the subsequent invoice date. Most management companies will not acknowledge the buyer unless the service charges have been paid and are up to date, so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. This will smooth the conveyancing process.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Crediton - Examples of Queries Prior to Purchasing

Most Crediton leasehold flats will be liable to pay a service charge for the upkeep of the building set on behalf of the landlord. Should you acquire the flat you will have to meet this amount, normally in instalments during the year. This could vary from two or three hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for bigger purpose-built blocks. There will also be a ground rent for you to pay yearly, this is usually not a significant sum, say around £50-£100 but you need to enquire as on occasion it can be prohibitively expensive. Is there a share of the freehold? It is important to be aware whether fixing the lift or some other major work is due in the near future to be shared amongst the leaseholders and will dramatically impact the level of the maintenance costs or necessitate a specific invoice.