The owners have very assertive sellers who has insisted on a exclusivity contract with a non-refundable deposit 6,000. Is it wise to enter into such agreements?

Lock out contracts are contracts binding a home seller and purchaser giving the buyer the sole right to the sale of the premises within an agreed time frame. For all intents and purposes, a lock out is a document stating that you should be issued with a contract at a later time which is the contract for the actual sale. It tends to be used for buyer protection though in some cases, the owner may stand to benefit from such agreements as well. There are numerous positives and negatives to having an agreement but you need to check with your lawyer but note that it may result in costing you more in conveyancing fees. For these reasons these contracts are avoided in relation to conveyancing in Solihull.

I had an offer accepted on a house in Solihull on 21/11/2024, valuation was booked five days later, all came back fine. Property lawyer instructed, so all that was missing was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to UBS and chasing them on my offer, I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the UBS conveyancing panel. Can the lender hold off the offer?

A lender would not issue a mortgage until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for UBS to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the UBS conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.

After shopping around on the internet I have found a Solihull property lawyer having made sure that they are on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?

Kent Reliance will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Kent Reliance 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. You may wish to consider appointing your own Solihull surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller.

Co-operative have agreed my mortgage in principle, my bid on a house in Solihull has been accepted, now what?

The estate agent will wish to know who your solicitors are (make sure the lawyers are on the bank’s panel). Call up Co-operative or your financial adviser and finalise any appropriate paperwork. Co-operative will instruct a valuer who will get in contact with the selling agent or owners to schedule an appointment. Once conducted (assuming no problems) it takes about ten days to get a mortgage offer. Co-operative will issue the offer to you and your conveyancers. The legal work will then take it’s course according the nature and complexity of the conveyancing in Solihull.

A colleague advised me that if I am purchasing in Solihull I should ask my conveyancer to execute a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. What does it cover?

A search of this type is occasionally included in the estimate for your Solihull conveyancing searches. It is not a small report of about 40 pages, listing and detailing important information about Solihull 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 demographics of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average House Prices, Crime details, Solihull Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data regarding Solihull.

I have recentlydiscovered that Action Conveyancing have closed. They carried out my conveyancing in Solihull for a purchase of a leasehold apartment 10 months ago. How can I establish that the property is registered correctly in the name of the former proprietor?

The quickest method to check if the premises is in your name, you can carry out a search of the land registry (£3.00). You can either do this yourself or ask a law firm to do this for you. If you are not registered you can seek help from one of a number of Solihull conveyancing specialists.

I today plan to offer on a house that appears to be perfect, at a reasonable price which is making it more attractive. I have since discovered that it's a leasehold rather than freehold. I would have thought that there are particular concerns buying a leasehold house in Solihull. Conveyancing solicitors have not yet been instructed. Will my lawyers set out the implications of buying a leasehold house in Solihull ?

Most houses in Solihull are freehold rather than leasehold. In this scenario it’s worth having a local conveyancer who is familiar with the area who can assist with the conveyancing process. We note that you are buying in Solihull in which case you should be shopping around for a Solihull conveyancing solicitor and check that they are used to advising on leasehold houses. First you will need to check the number of years remaining. Being a lessee you will not be entirely free to do whatever you want with the house. The lease comes with conditions for example requiring the freeholder’sconsent to conduct changes to the property. You may also be required to pay a service charge towards the maintenance of the communal areas where the house is located on an estate. Your solicitor should advise you fully on all the issues.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Solihull - A selection of Questions you should ask Prior to buying

Is anyone aware of any major works anticipated that will add a premium to the service costs? How many years remain on the lease? It would be wise to discover as much as you can concerning the managing agents as they will impact your use and enjoyment of the property. As the owner of a leasehold property you are frequently at the mercy of the managing agents both financially and when it comes to practical matters like the upkeep of the common parts. Ask other tenants what they think of their management. On a final note, be sure you discover the dates that you are obliged pay the maintenance charge to the relevant party and precisely what it includes.