Finally the sale completed on my house in Hull last January yet the purchaser is telephoning every few hours complaining that their lawyer needs to hear from mine. What should have happened now that I have sold?
Following your disposal your conveyancer should forward the transfer documentation and all additional paperwork to the buyer’s solicitors. Depending on the transaction, your lawyer should also confirm that the home loan has been repaid to the buyers lawyers. There are no post completion steps specific conveyancing in Hull.
What happens if my solicitor is expelled from the Coventry BS Conveyancing panel ahead of completing my conveyancing in Hull?
The first thing to point out is that, this is a very rare occurrence. In most cases even where a law firm is removed off of a panel the lender would allow the completion to go ahead as the lender would appreciate the difficulties that they would place you in if you have to instruct a new solicitor days before completion. In a worst case scenario where the lender insists that you instruct a new firm then it is possible for a very good lawyer to expedite the conveyancing albeit that you may pay a significant premium for this. The analogous situation is where a buyer instructs a lawyer, exchanges contracts and the law firm is shut down by a regulator such as the SRA. Again, in this situation you can find lawyers who can troubleshoot their way to bring the conveyancing to a satisfactory conclusion - albeit at a cost.
I am the only beneficiary of my late mum's estate with all property in now in my sole name, including the my former home in Hull. The Hull property was put into my name in March. I plan to dispose of the property. I do know about the CML 6 month 'rule', which means that my proprietorship could be treated the same way as if I'd bought the property in March. Do I have to wait 6 months to sell?
The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ handbook mandates solicitors to: "report to us immediately if the owner or registered proprietor has been registered for less than six months." By the strict wording you may be caught by that. How sensible a view mortgage companies take of it, depend on the mortgage company as this obligation is principally there to pick up on subsales or the flipping of property.
My wife and I have arranged a further advance on our mortgage from Aldermore as we wish to conduct a loft conversion to our house in Hull. Are we obliged to choose a local Hull solicitor on the Aldermore conveyancing panel to deal with the paperwork?
Aldermore would not normally require a member of their conveyancing panel to deal with such a matter. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Aldermore panel.
We have agreed to purchase a house in Hull. An unusual aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Solicitors conducting should look into this right? Will my lender Principality be concerned?
Given that your lender is Principality your lawyer must follow the conveyancing instructions contained in Section 2 of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Principality. The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook stipulates minimum specifications for solar panel roof-space leases, and lawyers are required to report to Principality where a lease fails to meet these specifications. The provisions relate to the installation of panels on properties countrywide and is not restricted to Hull.
Am I right to be concerned by estate agents that I am dealing with are encouraging me to use an online conveyancing firm as opposed to a local Hull conveyancing company?
As is the case with lots of professional services, often recommendations from connections can be extremely useful or valuable. Nevertheless there are numerous players in a conveyancing transaction; estate agents, mortgage brokers and lenders may recommend solicitors to retain. Sometimes the lawyers might be known to one of the organisations as being good in their field, but occasionally there is an underlying financial incentive behind the recommendation. You are at liberty to choose your own conveyancer. However, bear in mind that many banks specify a panel list of lawyers you have to use for the lender aspect of your conveyancing.
Partway through the sale of a leasehold flat in Hull. Conveyancing is fine but we have been asked to pay an extortionate amount from the landlord. To date we have forked out £237 for a leasehold management pack and then a further £200 plus VAT for answers to queries raised by the buyers conveyancer.
You will not have any say over the extent of the charges for this information but the typical fee for the information for Hull leasehold property is £360. For Hull conveyancing deals it is usual for the vendor to pay for these costs. The landlord or their agents are not duty bound to answer these questions although many will be content to do so - albeit often at exorbitant prices where the fees bear little relation to the work involved. Unfortunately there is no legislation that requires set fees for administrative tasks. There is no statutory time limit by which they are obliged to provide answers.