The conveyancer who dealt with my previous purchase has given a fee estimate £1700 for freehold conveyancing in Hornchurch. I’m selling a Edwardian detached home for £175,000. Are these estimated fees excessive? Is it in excess of what I should be paying for conveyancing in Hornchurch?
The charges are a bit high. Where you are content to expend time comparing prices you could get the conveyancing a bit cheaper by say £100 plus VAT. That being said, you couldcome to rue opting for an an unknown solicitor. Remember to be sure the firm can also act for your bank. Do make use of our search tool to get a quote a Hornchurch conveyancing firm on the lender’s approved list of lawyers which can often include conveyancing solicitors in Hornchurch.
What is the first thing I need to know concerning purchase conveyancing in Hornchurch?
Not many law firms or advisers will tell you this but conveyancing in Hornchurch or throughout England and Wales is often a confrontational experience. Put another way, when it comes to conveyancing there is an abundance of opportunity for confrontation between you and other parties involved in the home moving process. For example, the seller, selling agent and sometimes your mortgage company. Selecting a law firm for your conveyancing in Hornchurch should not be taken lightly as your conveyancer is your adviser, and is the SOLE party in the process whose responsibility is to look after your legal interests and to protect you.
Sometimes a third party with a vested interest will try and persuade you that it is in your interests to do things their way. As an example, the selling agent may claim to be assisting by claiming that your solicitor is wrong. Or your mortgage broker may try to convince you to do take action that is against your conveyancers advice. You should always trust your lawyer above all other parties when it comes to the legal transfer of property.
My uncle passed away last year and as sole heir and executor I was left the property in Hornchurch. The house had a small mortgage left on it of around £5k. I want to transfer the title deeds into my name whilst I re-mortgage to HSBC, pay off the mortgage. Is this possible?
Given you plan to re-mortgage then HSBC will insist on your using a conveyancer on the HSBC 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 HSBC 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 HSBC mortgage is registered as a charge at the Land Registry.
My wife and I are close to exchanging contracts on the sale of our property in Hornchurch and according to the buyers it appears that there is a possibility that the property was built land that was not decontaminated. A high street Hornchurch lawyer would know that there is no such problem. For the life of me I don't know why the buyers instructed a nationwide conveyancing practice as opposed to a conveyancing solicitor in Hornchurch. Having lived in Hornchurch for six years we know that this is a non issue. Do we get in touch with our local Authority to get confirmation that the buyers are looking for.
It would appear that you have a conveyancing firm already. What do they say? You should check with your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out health insurance to cover that same sickness)
I used Action Conveyancing a few years ago for my conveyancing in Hornchurch. Now, I need the files but the law firm has closed. What do I do?
Do call the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to assist in tracking down 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 Hornchurch of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously used, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.