My wife and I buying a 4 bedroom semi-detached house in Little Burstead. The intention is to carry out an extension to the side at the property.Will the conveyancing process include investigations to determine if these alterations were previously refused?
Your property lawyer should check the registered title as conveyancing in Little Burstead will on occasion identify restrictions in the title documents which prevent categories of alterations or require the permission of another owner. Some extensions need local authority planning consent and approval in accordance building regulations. Certain locations are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which often prevent or impact extensions. You should check these issues with a surveyor prior to committing yourself to a purchase.
When it comes to mortgage companies such as UBS, do Little Burstead lawyers have to pay an annual charge to be on the list of approved solicitors?
We are unaware of any bank fees to register on their list of approved firms, although some do levy an administration charge to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel application.
I have paid off my mortgage with Clydesdale. I assume I don't need a Little Burstead lawyer on the Clydesdale panel to discharge the mortgage at the Land Registry. Please confirm.
If you have finished paying off your Clydesdale 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 Clydesdale mortgage from the register. Clydesdale, 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 Clydesdale has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
- Clydesdale has instructed the Land Registry to do so
My colleague recommended that where I am purchasing in Little Burstead I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. What does it cover?
A search of this type is usually included in the estimate for your Little Burstead conveyancing searches. It is not a small document of about 40 pages, listing and detailing important information about Little Burstead around the property and the people living there. It includes an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the local Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the type of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average Property Price, Crime statistics, Local Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data concerning Little Burstead.
Me and my brother have a 4 bedroom Georgian house in Little Burstead. Conveyancing solicitor acted for me and Lloyds TSB Bank. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and there are two entries: one for freehold, the second leasehold with the exact same property. I thought I was buying a freehold how can I check?
You need to read the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register as there may be mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Little Burstead and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they remortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with purchasers. You can also enquire as to the position with the conveyancing solicitor who conducted the work.
How does conveyancing in Little Burstead differ for new build properties?
Most buyers of new build or newly converted property in Little Burstead approach us having been asked by the seller to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the residence is built. This is because house builders in Little Burstead usually purchase the real estate, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct property lawyers as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are accustomed to new build conveyancing in Little Burstead or who has acted in the same development.
My conveyancers in Little Burstead have advised me that they can not locate my conveyancing file. At the time of my purchase I took out a mortgage with the bank. Is it case that being on the lender conveyancing panel they need to have retained the file for a number of years?
Different lenders have different requirements but many of the Terms and Conditions of Conveyancing Panel Appointment require the file to be held for a period of 6 years. That being said we have not seen a copy of the mortgage company Conveyancing Panel Terms. It might be worth you contacting the lender directly.