Will conveyancers request money on account when it comes to conveyancing in Four Oaks?

If you are buying a property in Four Oaks your solicitor will request that you put them with funds to cover the the cost of the conveyancing searches. This will be the total of the cost of the conveyancing searches. If any down payment is as part of the sale price then this should be asked for shortly ahead of contracts are exchanged. The final balance that is due should be sent to your lawyer shortly before completion.

My lawyer in Four Oaks has never been on on the Santander Approved Panel. Is it possible for me to use my family solicitor notwithstanding that they are excluded from the Santander approved list?

The limited options available to you here include:

1. Carry on with your preferred Four Oaks solicitors but Santander will need to retain a lawyer on their list of acceptable firms. This will inevitably rack up the overall conveyancing charges as well as cause frustration.
2. Get an alternative practitioner to act in the conveyancing, not forgetting to check they are on the Santander panel

My partner and I have arranged the release of further monies on our home loan from Kent Reliance as we wish to conduct improvements to our house in Four Oaks. Do we need to select a local Four Oaks solicitor on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel to deal with the legals?

Kent Reliance would not normally require firms on their approved list of lawyers to deal with such a matter. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Kent Reliance panel.

The formalities of my remortgage has taken place for my property in Four Oaks. Conveyancing was of an acceptable standard but I would like to complain about the lender. How does one go about formally complaining?

Almost all lenders have complaints procedures. Your first point of contact should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Care Team at head office. We understand that complaints to a lender are resolved effectively and efficiently. If you feel the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service who will take matters further.

It is not clear whether my mortgage offer obliges me to make sure the lease term for the flat is extended prior to the completion date. I have called into my local Four Oaks building society branch on a couple of occasions and was told it wasn't a problem and they would lend. My Four Oaks conveyancing solicitor - who is on the bank conveyancing panel- called to say that they will not lend based on their specific requirements. I simply don't know who is right.

Provided that the conveyancer is on the bank panel, she or he must adhere to the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook provisions for the bank. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that the mortgage company will go ahead, your lawyer has no choice but to refrain from exchanging contract and committing you to the purchase. We would suggest that you ask the mortgage company to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the number of years left on the lease.

I purchased my flat on 6 April and the transaction details are still not on the land registry website. Should I be concerned? My conveyancing solicitor in Four Oaks said it will be recorded in less than a month. Are properties in Four Oaks uniquely lengthy to register?

There is nothing unique about conveyancing in Four Oaks registration formalities. Rather than based on location, timescales can adjust depending on the party submitting the application, whether it is in order and if the Land registry must send notices to any other parties. Currently approximately 80% of such applications are fully addressed in less than three weeks but occasionally there can be extensive delays. Registration occurs after the new owner has moved in to the property so post completion formalities is not always primary concern yet where there is a degree of urgency associated with the registration then you or your solicitor could communicate with the Registry to express the reasoning for an expedited registration.

Do you have any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Four Oaks from the perspective of saving time on the sale process?

• Much of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Four Oaks can be avoided where you instruct lawyers the minute your agents start advertising the property and ask them to put together the leasehold documentation needed by the buyers’ conveyancers.
If you have had any disputes with your freeholder or managing agents it is very important that these are resolved before the property is marketed. The purchasers and their solicitors will be reluctant to purchase a property where there is an ongoing dispute. You may need to swallow your pride and pay any arrears of service charge or settle the dispute prior to completion of the sale. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled prior to the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You will still have to reveal details of the dispute to the purchasers, but it is clearly preferable to reveal the dispute as historic as opposed to unresolved. Some Four Oaks leases require Landlord’s consent to the sale and approval of the buyers. If this is the case, it would be prudent to notify your estate agents to make sure that the purchasers obtain bank and professional references. The bank reference will need to confirm that the buyers are financially capable of paying the yearly service charge and the actual amount of the service charge should be quoted in the bank’s letter. You will therefore need to provide your estate agents with the service charge figures so that they can pass this information on to the purchasers or their lawyers. You may think that you are aware of the number of years remaining on your lease but it would be advisable double-check by asking your solicitors. A purchaser's conveyancer will not be happy to advise their client to proceed with the purchase of a leasehold property the lease term is less than 80 years. In the circumstances it is essential at an early stage that you identify whether the lease for your property needs extending. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your premises on the market for sale.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Four Oaks - Sample of Questions you should consider Prior to buying

What restrictions are there in the Four Oaks Lease? Where a Four Oaks lease has no more than 80 years it will have adverse implications on the value of the flat. It is worth checking with your bank that they are happy with remaining years on the lease. A short lease means that you will almost definitely need a lease extension at some point and you need to have some idea of what this would cost. Remember, in most cases you would need to own the residence for two years before you are eligible to carry out a lease extension. Is there a share of the freehold?