My partner and I are planning to acquire a home in Avonmouth and are in fact using a Avonmouth conveyancing practice. Within the past 48 hours our conveyancer has forwarded the sale agreement to be signed with a detailed report in anticipation of exchanging contracts shortly. The Mortgage Works have this morning contacted us to inform me that they have now hit a problem as our Avonmouth solicitor is not on their approved list of lawyers. What do we do from here?
Where you are buying a property with the assistance of a mortgage it is normal for the purchasers' lawyers to also represent 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 mortgage company 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 don't have to instruct a firm on the lender’s conveyancing panel as you are at liberty to use your preferred Avonmouth lawyers, in which case it will likely add costs, and it may delay matters as you are adding another lawyer into the mix.
In what way does my ID and proof of funds have anything to do with my conveyancing in Avonmouth? Why is this being asked of me?
Anti-terror and anti-money-laundering regulations require solicitors and licensed conveyancers to verify the identity of the person or body they are dealing with before they can accept their conveyancing business. The Client Care letter that you need to sign will no doubt reaffirm this. Your lender will also require certain documents to be viewed. If you are unwilling to supply identification documents, your lawyer will not be able to take you on as a client.
is it true that all Avonmouth conveyancing solicitors on the Principality conveyancing panel are overseen by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority?
As solicitors, in order to be on the Principality conveyancing panel they would need to be governed by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority. Many mortgage companies do list licenced conveyancers on their panel and in that case the practice would be overseen by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.
We previously chose conveyancers locally in Avonmouth on the Bank of Ireland solicitor panel. They are now charging me a further fee for dealing with the Bank of Ireland mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee set by Bank of Ireland?
Provided it is contained in their Terms and Conditions or estimate then yes your lawyer can levy a fee for this. This charge is not dictated by Bank of Ireland but by your Avonmouth conveyancing practitioner. Numerous firms on the Bank of Ireland panel will quote ’dealing with mortgage’ fee but plenty of firms incorporate it on their overall fee.
I am currently in the process of buying my council flat in Avonmouth. I have a mortgage offer with Skipton. Conveyancing is not something I have any knowledge of. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should have one. Any advice?
It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with Skipton, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Skipton conveyancing panel.
I am buying a property and the lawyer has identified Chancel Repair for which the house may be liable given it’s proximity to the area of such a church. She has mentioned insurance. Is this strictly appropriate for conveyancing in Avonmouth
Unless a previous purchase of the premises completed after 12 October 2013 you may assume that solicitors carrying out conveyancing in Avonmouth to continue to suggest a chancel search and or chancel repair liability insurance.
What makes your site different to other online quote calculators for conveyancing in Avonmouth?
At this site receive a conveyancing quote via a Solicitor or Licensed Conveyancer that understands the issues of your conveyancing in Avonmouth. As opposed to estate agents and brokerage sites we are not in the business of charging firms a fee if you appoint them for your home move in Avonmouth
Am I better off to choose a Avonmouth conveyancing lawyer who is local to the property I am buying? I have an old university friend who can carry out the conveyancing but his firm is located 400kilometers drive away.
The benefit of a high street Avonmouth conveyancing practice is that you can attend the office to execute documents, present your ID and pester them where appropriate. They will also have local intelligence which is a plus. However nothing is more important than finding someone that will pull out all the stops for you. If other friends have instructed your friend and on the whole were content that must trump using an unknown Avonmouth conveyancing lawyer solely due to them being based in the area.