Can you help? My Washington solicitor is informing me me that he is legally obliged toorder Washington conveyancing searches asthe firm are on the Nat Westapproved lawyer panel. Is my lawyer correct?
You have limited options available to you. As you are taking a home loan with a bank your conveyancer has to comply with their conditions as set out in their version of the CML Conveyancing Handbook. Your lawyer would have previously signed the Terms and Conditions of your lender’s conveyancing panel appointment which obliges them to follow the CML Handbook provisions . Even if you were a cash buyer you would be ill advised not to carry out Washington conveyancing searches.
What does my ID and proof of funds have anything to do with my conveyancing in Washington? What am I being asked for?
To satisfy the Money Laundering Regulations any Washington conveyancing firm will require proof of identity in all conveyancing matters. This is normally satisfied by provision of a passport and an original bank statement or utility bill evidencing your correct address.
Under Money Laundering Regulations, conveyancing solicitors are obliged by law to ascertain not simply the identity of conveyancing clients but also the origin of fund that they receive in respect of any matter. An unwillingness to disclose this will result in your solicitor cancelling their retainer with you, as clearly this will cause a conflict between the set Regulations and a refusal to disclose.
Your conveyancers will have an obligation to notify the relevant authorities should they believe that any amounts received by them may contravene the Money Laundering Regulations.
My property lawyer in Washington is not listed on the HSBC Bank Conveyancing Panel. Can I still use my prefered solicitor even though they are excluded from the HSBC Bank list of approved lawyers?
The limited options open to you here include:
- Carry on with your preferred Washington lawyers but HSBC Bank will need to instruct a solicitor on their list of acceptable firms. This will inevitably rack up the overall conveyancing fees as well as result in delays.
- Choose a new solicitor to to deal with the purchase, obviously checking they are HSBC Bank approved.
- Persuade your HSBC Bank based solicitor to seek to join the HSBC Bank panel
I have a renovated Georgian house in Washington. Conveyancing practitioner acted for me and Virgin Money. I did a free Land Registry search last week and I saw a couple of entries: the first freehold, the second leasehold under the exact same property. I thought I was buying a freehold how can I check?
You should assess 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 owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Washington and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they sell they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with mortgage companies. You can also question the position with the conveyancing solicitor who conducted the conveyancing.
I have just appointed agents to market my basement flat in Washington. Conveyancing solicitors are to be appointed soon, but I have just received a yearly maintenance charge invoice – Do I pay up?
It best that you clear the service charge as usual because all rents and maintenance invoices should be apportioned on completion, so you will be reimbursed by the buyer for the period running from after the completion date to the next payment date. Most managing agents will not acknowledge the buyer until the service charges have been paid and are up to date, so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. Having a clear account will assist your cause and will leave you no worse off financially.
I own a ground floor flat in Washington, conveyancing formalities finalised half a dozen years ago. Can you shed any light on how much the price could be for a 90 year extension to my lease? Similar flats in Washington with a long lease are worth £211,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £45 yearly. The lease ceases on 21st October 2086
With just 67 years left to run we estimate the premium for your lease extension to range between £10,500 and £12,000 as well as legals.
The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to supply a more accurate figure without more comprehensive investigations. You should not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt additional issues that need to be taken into account and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not move forward placing reliance on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.