It is a dozen years since I bought my house in Winnersh. Conveyancing solicitors have now been appointed on the sale but I can't find my title deeds. Will this jeopardise the sale?
You need not be too concerned. Firstly the deeds may be with the mortgage company or they may stored with the lawyers who oversaw your purchase. Secondly the chances are that the property will be recorded at the land registry and you will be able to prove you are the registered owner by your conveyancing lawyers procuring current official copies of the land registers. Most conveyancing in Winnersh relates to registered property but in the unlikely event that your property is not registered it adds to the complexity but is not insurmountable.
Please explain the implications if my solicitor is suspended from the Virgin Money Conveyancing panel ahead of completing my conveyancing in Winnersh?
First, this is a very rare occurrence. In most cases even where a law firm is removed off of a panel the lender would allow the completion to go ahead as the lender would appreciate the difficulties that they would place you in if you have to instruct a new solicitor days before completion. In a worst case scenario where the lender insists that you instruct a new firm then it is possible for a very good lawyer to expedite the conveyancing albeit that you may pay a significant premium for this. The analogous situation is where a buyer instructs a lawyer, exchanges contracts and the law firm is shut down by a regulator such as the SRA. Again, in this situation you can find lawyers who can troubleshoot their way to bring the conveyancing to a satisfactory conclusion - albeit at a cost.
Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to my house are lost. The conveyancers who handled the conveyancing in Winnersh 5 years ago have long since closed. What do I do?
These day there are duplicates made of almost everything, and your conveyancer will be aware precisely where to find all the suitable documentation so you can purchase or dispose of your house without any difficulty. If copies can’t be located, your lawyer can put in place insurance or indemnities protecting you against future claims on your property.
I have been on the look out for a leasehold apartment up to £305k and found one near me in Winnersh I like with open areas and transport links nearby, however it's only got 52 years on the lease. There is not much else in Winnersh suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error purchasing a short lease?
Should you need a home loan the shortness of the lease may be an issue. Reduce the price by the amount the lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current owner has owned the property for a minimum of 2 years you could request that they start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor regarding this.
Am I right to be concerned that brokers that I am dealing with are suggesting an online conveyancing firm as opposed to a High Street Winnersh conveyancing firm?
As is the case with many service providers, often input from connections can be most helpful. Yet there are numerous people with a vested interest in a conveyancing matter; estate agents, mortgage brokers and banks might all suggest conveyancers to instruct. Sometimes the conveyancers might be known to one of the organisations as being good in their field, but sometimes there may be a commercial relationship behind the recommendation. You are free to appoint your own conveyancer. However, bear in mind that the majority of mortgage providers specify a panel list of solicitors you have to use for the mortgage related work in your transaction.