My fiance and I are hoping to purchase a flat in Amersham and are in fact using a Amersham conveyancing practice. Within the past 48 hours our property lawyer has forwarded the sale agreement to be signed with a detailed report in anticipation of exchanging contracts shortly. Birmingham Midshires have this evening contacted us to advise us that they have now hit a problem as our Amersham lawyer is not on their conveyancing panel. Is this a problem?
Where you are buying a property needing a mortgage it is conventional for the purchasers' solicitors to also act for the mortgage company. In order to act for a bank or building society a law firm has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the law firm to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the firm has to satisfy and indeed some lenders now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Accreditation Scheme. Your property lawyer should contact your bank and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own solicitors to act. You are not legally obliged to appoint a law firm on the lender’s conveyancing panel as you are at liberty to use your preferred Amersham lawyers, in which case it will likely add costs, and it will likely delay the transaction as you have another set of people involved.
I have an AIP. The lender mentioned the mortgage came with free conveyancing. Does this mean I have to appoint their panel solicitor as I would prefer to instruct a Amersham based conveyancing firm?
You should check but the the probability is that appoint one of their panel lawyers should you want the "fee-free" incentive. Call the bank and check if they allow a monetary alternative. Some mortgage companies have previously offered a £250 cashback as a further option in which case that money can go towards your preferred conveyancing solicitor near Amersham.
We are purchasing a apartment in Amersham. It might be a silly question but how we can trust a conveyancer? On completion day we will need to send money into their account. What is the protection we have from them run away with our monies?
Be assured that all money in a Solicitors client account is 100% safe, and even if your Solicitor ran off with it, the Law Society would reimburse you fully.
Have just purchased a repossessed house at auction in Amersham. Conveyancing is necessary. What are my next steps?
Now that you have exchanged you now have to retain a conveyancing solicitor as a matter of priority as you are facing a pending a fixed date to complete the property. All auction property will have a bespoke auction set of papers. This will include evidence of title and search results. Where you are dealing with leasehold premises the conveyancing papers may provide a copy of the lease, management information and a sellers leasehold information form and associated conveyancing paperwork relating to leasehold premises. You should pass this on to your appointed conveyancing solicitor at the earliest opportunity. Do make sure that you have funds in order to complete on the date specified in the contract.
Co-operative have agreed my home loan in principle, my bid on a property in Amersham has been agreed to, what happens next?
The estate agent will wish to know who your solicitors are (be sure the solicitors are on the lender’s panel). Telephone Co-operative or your financial adviser and finalise any appropriate documentation. Co-operative will appoint a valuer who will get in contact with the selling agent or vendor to schedule a time for the valuation to happen. Once conducted (assuming no problems) it takes approximately a fortnight for the mortgage offer to be issued. Co-operative will send the offer to you and your lawyers. The legal work will then take it’s course according the nature and complexity of the conveyancing in Amersham.
Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to my home are lost. The solicitors who dealt with the conveyancing in Amersham 10 years ago are no longer around. What are my next steps?
Assuming the title is registered the information relating to your ownership will be recorded by the Land Registry with a Title Number. It is easy to conduct a search at the Land Registry, identify your property and secure current copies of the property title for a small fee. If the title is Leasehold then the Land Registry will in most cases hold a file duplicate of the Registered Lease and again, a copy can be ordered for a small fee.
I have been recommended by a couple of local estate agents in Amersham to select a solicitor on your site. Is there a financial inducement for Estate Agents to promote your site over alternative conveyancing organisations?
We don’t make any referral fee for directing people to this site. We thought it would be too underhand to pay a commission because members of the public would think, ‘Why is the agent getting a kickback? Why aren’t I getting any benefit too?’ So we decided to step away from that.
My cousin has suggested that I appoint his conveyancing solicitors in Amersham. Do I follow his guidance?
No doubt the best way to find a conveyancing lawyer is to get referrals from friends or family who have actually experience in using the conveyancer that you are are thinking of instructing.