Should lawyers request money up-front for conveyancing in Wollaston?

If you are buying a property in Wollaston your lawyer will request that you place them with funds to cover the search fees. This will be the total of the cost of the conveyancing searches. If any down payment is payable against the total price then this should be asked for immediately before contracts are exchanged. The final balance that is due will be payable shortly before completion.

The Wollaston conveyancing firm that I appointed last week on my house acquisition in Wollaston have suddenly shut down. They were on acting for me because I needed a firm on the RBS conveyancing panel and my preferred Wollaston lawyer was not. I paid them £170 on account. What do I do now?

If you have an estate agent involved then let them know immediately so that they can let the sellers know that there may be a slight delay due to reasons beyond your control. Most sellers would be sympathetic and urge their lawyer to send a new set of papers to your new solicitors. You will need to appoint new lawyers that are on the RBS 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 lawyers may be able to help.

My partner and I are planning on selling our house in Wollaston and the buyers lawyers are claiming that there is a risk of it being built on contaminated land. Any high street Wollaston conveyancer would know that there is no such problem. It does beg the question why the purchasers instructed an internet conveyancing firm rather than a conveyancing solicitor in Wollaston. Having lived in Wollaston for 4 years we know that this is a non issue. Do we contact our local Authority to seek confirmation that the buyers are looking for.

It sounds as though you may have a conveyancing solicitor already. Are they able to advise? You must 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 ailment)

I am 3 weeks into a residential purchase having been recommend to a firm by the selling agent to carry out the conveyancing in Wollaston. I am not happy. Can you help me find new lawyers?

They would need to be very bad to suggest diss instructing them. Has your mortgage been generated? If so you will need to inform them of the new contact details and get the mortgage documents are re-sent. The solicitor ideally should be on the banks panel to avoid supplemental costs and frustration. That should be your starting point. Our search tool can assist you in finding a lender approved conveyancer for your home move in Wollaston

Last July I purchased a leasehold flat in Wollaston. Do I have any liability for service charges relating to a period prior to completion of my purchase?

Where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous lessee and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. Strange as it may seem, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. A critical element of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to be sure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.

If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).

Leasehold Conveyancing in Wollaston - Sample of Questions you should ask Prior to Purchasing

What is the service charge and ground rent on the flat? If a Wollaston lease has less than 80 years it will affect the value of the flat. Check with your bank that they are willing to to proceed given the lease term. Leases with less than 80 years remaining means that you will probably need a lease extension sooner rather than later and it is worth finding out how much this would cost. Remember, in most cases you will be be obliged to have owned the premises for two years in order to be entitled to extend the lease. For many Wollaston leaseholds the outlay for major works tend not to be included within service charges, albeit that a few managing agents in Wollaston obliged leaseholders to contribute towards a reserve fund and this is used to offset against major repairs or maintenance.