Just been in touch with my conveyancing lawyer in Berkeley who acted for me two years ago asking for a conveyancing quote based on an identical type of house sale & purchase (a leasehold premises and a freehold property) of similar values with a mortgage from Barclays Direct. It looks as though am now being charged double. Stick with what I know or do I seek out an alternative property lawyer?
The estimate does seem a little steep. If you are prepared to spend time comparing charges you may be able to get the conveyancing a bit cheaper by as much as a hundred pounds. That being said, providing that you were content with the service the firm gave you couldcome to rue opting for an a cheaper lawyer. If is important to enquire the conveyancer can also act for Barclays Direct. Do make use of our search tool to get a quote a Berkeley conveyancing firm on the Barclays Direct approved list of lawyers, which can often include conveyancing solicitors in Berkeley.
I do hope you can assist me. My Berkeley lawyer is assuring me that she is duty bound toorder Berkeley conveyancing searches asthe firm are on the HSBCsolicitor panel. Do I not have a choice here?
You have limited options available to you. As you are obtaining a mortgage with a bank your conveyancer has to comply with their conditions as set out in their version of the CML Conveyancing Handbook. Your property lawyer would have previously signed the Terms and Conditions of your lender’s conveyancing panel appointment which obliges them to comply with the CML Handbook requirements . Even if you were a cash buyer you would be ill advised not to carry out Berkeley conveyancing searches.
Can I be sure that the Berkeley conveyancing solicitor on the Co-operative panel is any good?
When it comes to conveyancing in Berkeley obtaining recommendations is a good starting point. Before you go ahead, check if they offer a no sale no fee offer. Also, you often get what you pay for - a firm which quotes more, will often provide a better service than one which is cheap as chips. We would always suggest that you speak with the lawyer conducting your transaction.
Two weeks ago we had a mortgage agreed in principle with Aldermore. Berkeley conveyancing lawyers are chosen. How long does it take for Aldermore to send the offer to the conveyancing practitioner?
There is no definitive answer here. Have Aldermore conducted the valuation? Have you advised Aldermore as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the Aldermore conveyancing panel? Sometimes it can take as long as six weeks for a mortgage offer to be issued.
My husband and I are in the throws of looking at flats in Berkeley and I am now considering a potential offer. Is it sensible to have my solicitor on ‘stand by’? I will be getting a home loan with TSB.
You should start obtaining conveyancing estimates from solicitors ASAP. Once you decide who you want to use and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and forward their contact information on to the EA. As you are taking out a mortgage with TSB, ask your prospective lawyers if they are on the TSB conveyancing panel otherwise they can't do the mortgage legal work.
A colleague advised me that where I am purchasing in Berkeley I should ask my conveyancer to carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?
A search of this type is sometimes included in the estimate for your Berkeley conveyancing searches. It is a large document of about 40 pages, listing and setting out significant information about Berkeley around the property and the people living there. It includes an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the local Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the type of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average Property Price, Crime statistics, Berkeley Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data about Berkeley.
Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to my property are lost. The conveyancers who handled the conveyancing in Berkeley 5 years ago no longer exist. Will I be able to sell the house?
You no longer need to have the physical deeds to establish that you own the land or premises, as the Land Registry have everything they need in a digital format.
I’m about to sell my 2 bed apartment in Berkeley.Conveyancing solicitors are to be appointed soon but I have recently had a quarterly maintenance charge invoice – Do I pay up?
It best that you clear the maintenance contribution as usual as all ground rent and maintenance invoices should be apportionedon completion, so you should recover the relevant percentage by the buyer for the period running from after the completion date to the next payment date. Most management companies will not acknowledge the buyer until the service charges have been paid and are up to date so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. Having a clear account will assist your cause and will leave you no worse off financially