I am purchasing a leasehold flat in Hassocks. My lawyer has never been on on the bank conveyancing panel. Is it possible for me to continue with my Hassocks conveyancing solicitor even though they are excluded from the mortgage company approved list?
Your options include
- Proceed with your preferred Hassocks property lawyer but your bank will need to appoint a solicitor on their conveyancing panel. This will result in additional fees and likely frustration.
- Choose a fresh lawyer to act in the purchase, ensuring that they are on the bank conveyancing panel.
- Convince your conveyancing practitioner to do everything possible to get listed on the lender’s panel of solicitors
The Hassocks conveyancing firm that I recently instructed on my purchase in Hassocks have without warning shut down. I only went with them because I needed a lawyer on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel and my preferred Hassocks lawyer was not. I issued them a cheque for two hundred pounds in advance. What do I do now?
If you have an estate agent involved then let them know immediately so that they can let the sellers know that there may be a slight delay due to reasons beyond your control. Most sellers would be sympathetic and urge their lawyer to send a new set of papers to your new solicitors. You will need to appoint new lawyers that are on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel and notify the lender. If you have paid over any money, it will hopefully be held by the SRA as money in an intervened firm's bank accounts is transferred to the SRA. Then, the SRA or the intervention agent looks at the intervened firm's accounts to work out who the money belongs to. To claim your money you will need to contact the SRA. If the SRA cannot return money you are owed from the firm's bank accounts, or if they can only return part of the money, you can apply to the Compensation Fund for a grant. Your new solicitors should be in a position to help.
Over the last few months I have been searching for a ground for flat up to £245,000 and found one near me in Hassocks I like with open areas and station in the vicinity, however it only has 52 years unexpired on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Hassocks suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error purchasing a lease with such few years left?
If you need a mortgage that many years will likely be an issue. Discount the offer by the expected lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current proprietor has owned the property for at least twenty four months you may request that they start the process of the extension and pass it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the existing lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should speak to your conveyancing solicitor regarding this.
I am looking into buying my first house which is in Hassocks and I am already nervous. I couldn't find anything specific about Hassocks. Conveyancing will be needed in due course but do you know about the Hassocks area? or perhaps some other tips you can share?
Rather than looking online forget looking online you should go and have a look at Hassocks. In the meantime here are some basic statistics that we found
The mortgage broker has suggested using their solicitor for our conveyancing in Hassocks - Is it not simpler better to just use them?
This is not necessarily the case and you are free to instruct whichever lawyer you decide for your Hassocks conveyancing. The solicitor put forward by an estate agent may not necessarily be the right property lawyer, they may suggest their own conveyancing firm who are based far away. In this instance you may not have contact with your lawyer and due to the lack of continuity in the transaction, it may be difficult to obtain progress reports.