I am in the market for a low cost property lawyer. Should I go for for an internet conveyancer rather than a family Peterlee conveyancing solicitor?
In the main conveyancing lawyers in your location will have good relationships with your local authority, which could assist with the Peterlee conveyancing searches that your solicitor will need to carry out. It can only be a plus if they enjoy good relationships with the Land Registry in your area Peterlee, other conveyancers in the location and Peterlee Estate Agents.
The Peterlee conveyancing firm that I appointed last week on my purchase in Peterlee have suddenly closed. I chose them because I needed a solicitor on the Lloyds conveyancing panel and my family Peterlee lawyer was not. I sent them a cheque for £250 in advance. What are my options?
If you have an estate agent involved then inform them straight away so that they advise the vendors that there may be a slight delay due to the problems encountered. Hopefully they will be sympathetic and urge their lawyer to send a new set of papers to your new solicitors. You should appoint new lawyers that are on the Lloyds conveyancing panel and notify the lender. If you have paid over any money, it will hopefully be held by the SRA as money in an intervened firm's bank accounts is transferred to the SRA. Then, the SRA or the intervention agent looks at the intervened firm's accounts to work out who the money belongs to. To claim your money you will need to contact the SRA. If the SRA cannot return money you are owed from the firm's bank accounts, or if they can only return part of the money, you can apply to the Compensation Fund for a grant. Your new solicitors may be able to assist.
My partner and I are close to exchanging contracts on the sale of our house in Peterlee and the buyers lawyers are claiming that there is a possibility that the property was built on contaminated land. A local lawyer would know this is not the case. It does beg the question why the buyers used a factory type conveyancing practice rather than a conveyancing solicitor in Peterlee. Having lived in Peterlee for 5 years we know that this is a non issue. Should we contact our local Authority to get confirmation that the buyers are looking for.
It sounds as though you may have a conveyancing firm already. What do they say? You need to enquire of 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 life insurance to cover that same illness)
My wife and I own a 4 bedroom Victorian property in Peterlee. Conveyancing lawyer acted for me and Halifax. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and there are a couple of entries: one for freehold, another for leasehold with the matching property. I thought I was buying a freehold how can I check?
You should read the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Peterlee and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they buy they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with lenders. You can also question the situation with the conveyancing practitioner who conducted the purchase.
Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold element on a house I have offered on a fortnight ago in what was supposed to be a simple, no chain conveyancing. Peterlee is the location of the property. What do you suggest?
Flying freeholds in Peterlee are not the norm but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside Peterlee you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds very carefully. Your mortgage company may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Peterlee may determine that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold residence.