I am the single beneficiary of my late father’s estate with all property in now in my sole name, including the house in Wickford. The Wickford property was put into my name in September. I want to move. I do know about the Mortgage Lenders six month 'rule', meaning my property ownership may be treated the same way as though I had purchased the house in September. Is the property unsalable for six months?
The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ handbook obliges solicitors to: "report to us immediately if the owner or registered proprietor has been registered for less than six months." Technically you may be caught by that. How practical a view banks take of it, depend on the bank as this clause is chiefly there to identify the purchase and immediately sell or the flipping of properties.
When it comes to lenders such as Leeds Building Society, do Wickford conveyancers have to pay a fee to be on the list of approved solicitors?
We are unaware of any lender fees to register on their panel, although some do levy an administration fee to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel application.
I have today made my last payment due on my mortgage with Skipton. I assume I don't need a Wickford solicitor on the Skipton panel to discharge the mortgage at the Land Registry. Am I right?
If you have finished paying off your Skipton 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 Skipton mortgage from the register. Skipton, 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 Skipton has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
- Skipton has instructed the Land Registry to do so
Do I need to take out insurance to address the risk of chancel repairs when buying a residence in Wickford?
Unless a prior acquisition of the property completed post 12 October 2013 you could expect solicitors handling conveyancing in Wickford to remain recommending a chancel search and or insurance against a claim.
I used Wolstenholmes several years ago for my conveyancing in Wickford. Now, I need the files however the law firm is no longer operating. What do I do?
Do call the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to assist in tracing your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Wickford of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously retained, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.
I have been on the look out for a ground for flat up to £235,500 and identified one round the corner in Wickford I like with amenity areas and station in the vicinity, however it's only got 51 years on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Wickford for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error acquiring a lease with such few years left?
Should you need a mortgage the shortness of the lease will be a potential deal breaker. Reduce the offer by the expected lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing proprietor has owned the property for a minimum of twenty four months you can request that they commence the lease extension formalities and pass it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease term and have £0 ground rent by law. You should speak to your conveyancing solicitor regarding this matter.
In what way can the Landlord & Tenant Act 1954 impact my business offices in Wickford and how can your lawyers assist?
The 1954 Act provides security of tenure to commercial lessees, granting the a statutory right to make a request to court for a continuation of occupancy when the lease comes to an end. There are limited grounds that a landlord can refrain from granting a lease renewal and the rules are complex. Fees are different for commercial conveyancing. Wickford is one of our numerous locations in which the firms we work with are located