I am expecting a mortgage offer from Nat West. I intend to use a Licensed Conveyancer in Launceston. Does the Nat West Solicitor panel exclude Licensed Conveyancers?
The Nat West approved solicitor list is, like many other lenders, associated to the CML or BSA, open to Licensed Conveyancers regulated by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.
We note that you have a search directory identifying firms on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel. Do firms pay you a referral fee if I retain them for our own conveyancing in Launceston?
We are a listing service only for law firms wishing to communicate if they are on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel or other lender panels. We do not charge referral fees to any conveyancer that you subsequently appoint for your conveyancing in Launceston.
When it comes to lenders such as Nationwide, do Launceston lawyers incur a fee to be on the conveyancing panel?
We are not aware of any mortgage company fees to be on their panel, although some do charge an administration fee to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel application.
Planning on purchasing a apartment in Launceston. I have received an online quote from a licenced conveyancer, which states: "There will be no charge for dealing with the Building Society if you are obtaining a mortgage". I take this to mean that there will be no additional fee if the solicitor is on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel. I wanted to make sure it means there will be no additional fees for dealing with the mortgage.
They are simply saying that the cost for acting for the lender is included in the fee being quoted. It is worth you checking that the Launceston conveyancing practitioner is on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel.
I've read lots of house buying guides, I note that they all recommend that you should get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Launceston solicitor - who is on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. Is that normal?
Yorkshire BS will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Yorkshire BS will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. Your property lawyer will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by your Launceston postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Yorkshire BS, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Launceston.
Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly identified during conveyancing in Launceston?
Restrictive covenants can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the process of conveyancing in Launceston. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’
I have been on the look out for a flat up to £305k and identified one near me in Launceston I like with a park and station in the vicinity, however it's only got 49 years on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Launceston for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error buying a lease with such few years left?
If you require a home loan the remaining unexpired lease term will likely be a potential deal breaker. Discount the price by the anticipated lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing owner has owned the property for at least twenty four months you could ask them to start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer concerning this.