Excessive Conveyancing queries?

merlin77

Hi
Please can anyone comment on whether the following enquiries being raised by my solicitor on a property with unregistered title seem excessive.

1.Have there been any extensions, alterations or additions to the
property since construction? If so please provide all planning permissions,
building regulation consents and any other consents that were required.
2.Has the roof been replaced either fully or partially since 1st April
2006?
3.Please confirm whether or not the property has been affected by
subsidence.
4.Has the property ever been burgled?
5.Please confirm that there have been no breaches of the covenants
affecting the title.
6.Has your client had any problems obtaining buildings insurance for
the property?
7.!!!!! Does the property have solar panels? If so please provide the
appropriate consents?
8.!!!!! Has the electrical system and central heating system been tested.
Please provide all test certificates. If the systems have not been tested
please confirm that your client will arrange for tests to be carried out and
the appropriate certificates produced.
9.!!!!! Please confirm if the Property is subject to a loan or funding under
the Green Deal Scheme.
11! Please confirm that Defective Title Indemnity Insurance will be put in
place for entry numbers 1 and 2 of the Charges Register of Title NT283734.
12! Please provide an Index map search on the Unregistered part of the
title.
13! Please provide a colour copy of the plan attached to the Root
Conveyance.
14! Please show exactly on the Root Conveyance plan where the property is
situated.
15! Please advise if your clients have contributed towards the maintenance
and repair of the shared access way shown hatched Blue on the deed of gift
dated!9th December 1991.
16! Our Drainage search says that surface water is not connected to the main
drains.! Is this the case?! Where does the surface water drain to?

McBozo

fairly standard I am afraid, a lot of which is driven by the lender. My lawyer raised similar questions for the place I am buying and my buyers lawyer asked me similar questions. The indemnity thing is a insurance sales man wet dream but lenders insist upon it so you don't have a choice.

chris_m

None of that seems particularly OTT to me - with the exception of #8.
It's not a legal requirement so if they want it testing, my view is that the buyer can arrange it, and pay for it.

Doozergirl

There's nothing there that surprises me.

It's a big deal, buying a house. It's a good solicitor that supplies extra pages of questions, IMO. It protects their client and saves something being raised in panic later when it could be dealt with swiftly at the start.

Campervanman

Look standard to me. They now try and cover every eventuality.

If you do not have a test cert for the electrics or heating you simply need to state that (you may have one for the electrics if the property had been rented for example). They are asking questions and you are just providing truthful answers. If there are particular issues and concerns then these will be raised by the purchaser solicitor and you can decide what action (if any) you want to take to calm fears or demonstrate that something is in order.
Sometimes you are asked to provide service documents for the central heating. From the purchasers perspective its to show its not going to pack up the moment they buy the property and they are going to have more unexpected expense.

Richard_Webster

Pretty standard I'm afraid.

If OP was buying I am sure he would be concerned if these kinds of questions were not asked and something went wrong later because of something that was not found out.

Without an answer to 13, for instance, it could be difficult to register the title.

The electrical certificate one is slightly OTT but the reality is that a lot of people mistakenly think that everywhere should have a certificate and it is often easier to ask the question, get the expected "No" and explain to the client that this is pretty normal.

DRP

nothing wrong with those questions.

once you've answered those you'll get a load more 'personalised' questions, no doubt

nonnatus

When we bought our current house, OUR Solicitor drove us insane, insisting every last I was dotted and t was crossed.


SO many seemingly irrelevant queries and covenants on what was a relatively new house.


A year later, we are eternally grateful for his obsessive nature and have already benefitted from the answers he wrangled from our Seller....

TBagpuss

all of those are absolutely standard. The only one which is not is the request to get the gas and electricity systems tested - it is normal to ask whether they have been, but generally if the buyer wants it doing they can arrange for their own gas / electrical survey and tests.