We had chosen solicitors locally in Highcliffe on the Santander solicitor panel. They have just billed me a further amount for dealing with the Santander mortgage. Is this a supplemental conveyancing fee set by Santander?
As unfair as it may appear, as long as it’s in their Terms and Conditions or Quote then yes your conveyancing practitioner may levy a fee for this. This charge is not dictated by Santander but by your Highcliffe conveyancing practitioner. Plenty of firms on the Santander panel will levy ’dealing with mortgage’ fee but some firms incorporate it on their overall fee.
I have paid off my mortgage with Lloyds. I assume I don't need a Highcliffe property lawyer on the Lloyds panel to remove the mortgage at the Land Registry. Am I right?
If you have finished paying off your Lloyds mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the Lloyds mortgage from the register. Lloyds, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:
- but are not moving to another property
- where Lloyds has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
- Lloyds has instructed the Land Registry to do so
I currently have a mortgage with Barclays for my property in Highcliffe. Conveyancing has been completed a year 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 Barclays?
Your original mortgage agreement with Barclays will provide that you need their approval in advance of renting your property as this is likely to be a breach of Barclays’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 Barclays directly. It should not be necessary to do this via a Barclays conveyancing panel lawyer.
I need some quick conveyancing in Highcliffe as I am under pressure to exchange contracts in less than 3 weeks. Luckily I do not require a mortgage. Is it possible to escape the need for conveyancing searches to save money and time?
If.Given you are are a mortgage free buyer you have the choice not to have searches conducted although no conveyancer would advise that you don't. Drawing on years of experience of conveyancing in Highcliffe the following are instances of issues that can arise and therefore affect market value: Enforcement Actions, Outstanding Charges, Overdue Grants, Road Schemes,...
I used Wolstenholmes a few years ago for my conveyancing in Highcliffe. Now, I need the documents but the law firm has closed. What do I do?
You should contact the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to help locate your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Highcliffe of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously hired, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.
Over the last few months I have been searching for a ground for flat up to £235,500 and identified one near me in Highcliffe I like with a park and station nearby, however it's only got 51 remaining years left on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Highcliffe for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake purchasing a short lease?
If you require a mortgage that many years may be a potential deal breaker. Discount the offer by the anticipated lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing proprietor has owned the premises for a minimum of 2 years you could request that they start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease term and have £0 ground rent by law. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor regarding this matter.
I have been pointed in your direction by numerous property agents in Highcliffe to locate a property lawyer on your site. What’s the financial advantage for Estate Agents to promote your site rather than alternative conveyancing organisations?
We refuse to give any financial incentive for pointing buyers and sellers in our direction. We thought it would be too underhand a fee because home movers will think, ‘How come the agent getting a kickback? Why aren’t I getting any benefit too?’ So we decided to step away from that.