I am helping my aunt sell her property in Newcastle upon Tyne. Does the conveyancer commission an EPC or it is for the owner to coordinate?
Following the abolition of Home Information Packs, EPC’s was retained a mandatory part of selling a house. An energy performance certificate must be commissioned before the property is advertised. It is not a task that conveyancers normally organise. If you are instructing a Newcastle upon Tyne conveyancing solicitor they might help arrange EPC’s due to their relationships with long established local assessors
I am the sole beneficiary of my late father’s estate and I have everything in my name alone, including the my former home in Newcastle upon Tyne. The Newcastle upon Tyne property was put into my name in October. I now wish to sell up. I understand that there is a CML six month 'rule', meaning my proprietorship will be considered the same way as if I'd bought the house in October. Will no one buy the property for half a year?
The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ handbook requires 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 impacted by that. Some lenders would take a pragmatic view as this obligation is chiefly there to identify the purchase and immediately sell or the flipping of property.
I have today made my last payment due on my mortgage with Clydesdale. I assume I don't need a Newcastle upon Tyne lawyer on the Clydesdale panel to remove the mortgage at the Land Registry. Am I right?
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
The deeds to my house are lost. The solicitors who handled the conveyancing in Newcastle upon Tyne 4 years ago are no longer around. What are my next steps?
As long as the title is registered the details of your proprietorship will be retained by the Land Registry with a Title Number. It is easy to execute a search at the Land Registry, identify your property and secure current copies of the property title for less than a fiver. Where the title is Leasehold then the Land Registry will usually hold a file copy of the Registered Lease and again, a copy can be obtained for a small fee.
How does conveyancing in Newcastle upon Tyne differ for newly converted properties?
Most buyers of new build or newly converted property in Newcastle upon Tyne come to us having been asked by the seller to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the premises is constructed. This is because builders in Newcastle upon Tyne tend to acquire the land, 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 conveyancers 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 Newcastle upon Tyne or who has acted in the same development.
Do I need to be wary by estate agents that I am dealing with are suggesting an online conveyancing firm as opposed to a High Street Newcastle upon Tyne conveyancing firm?
As with lots of professional services, often recommendations from relatives can be very helpful. Yet there are many people with a keen interest in a conveyancing transaction; estate agents, financial adviser and banks may recommend solicitors to instruct. On occasion these lawyers might be known to one of the organisations as one of the best in their field, but sometimes there may be a financial incentive behind the endorsement. You are free to choose your preferred conveyancer. Don't forget that the majority of banks specify a panel list of lawyers you are obliged to use for the lender aspect of your conveyancing.
Please set out some of distinct benefits to selecting a high street lawyer in Newcastle upon Tyne
Home movers in Newcastle upon Tyne prefer a nearby high street conveyancer so that they can visit just in case they have problems, and to deliver mortgage deeds rather than relying on the post.
There is a slight advantage in selecting a conveyancer nearby to the house you are purchasing, due to the knowledge of the locality and potential local concerns - however this is debatable. Many conveyancers undertaking their communications via email and may be practically anywhere.