My wife and I are purchasing an apartment in Berkshire. My Solicitor is not listed on the mortgage company approved panel. Can I still retain my Berkshire conveyancing solicitor notwithstanding that they are not on the lender panel of approved conveyancing solicitors?
You have a couple of options available to you here
- Complete the purchase with your existing Berkshire lawyer but your lender will need to instruct a property lawyer from their conveyancing panel. The net result is additional cost together with probable delay.
- Choose a new lawyer to act in the purchase, ensuring that they are on the lender conveyancing panel.
- Convince your conveyancer to attempt to join the lender panel
We note that you have a search directory listing law firms on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel. Do firms pay you a referral fee if I appoint them for our own conveyancing in Berkshire?
We are a listing service only for law firms wishing to communicate if they are on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel or other lender panels. We do not charge referral fees to any conveyancer that you subsequently appoint for your conveyancing in Berkshire.
My wife and I are purchasing a property in Berkshire. I might seem paranoid but how we can trust a conveyancer? On the day of competition we have to send our life savings into their account. What is the protection we have from them run away with our money?
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.
I have paid off my mortgage with Co-operative. I assume I don't need a Berkshire solicitor on the Co-operative panel to discharge the mortgage at the Land Registry. Am I right?
If you have finished paying off your Co-operative mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the Co-operative mortgage from the register. Co-operative, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:
- but are not moving to another property
- where Co-operative has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
- Co-operative has instructed the Land Registry to do so
I am currently in the process of buying my council flat in Berkshire. I have a mortgage offer with Kent Reliance. Conveyancing is new to me. 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 Kent Reliance, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel.
I am purchasing a house and the conveyancer has raised the issue of Chancel Repair to which the property could be obligated to pay because it falls into the area of such a church. She has suggested insurance. Is this strictly required for conveyancing in Berkshire
Unless a prior acquisition of the house completed after 12 October 2013 you can take it that conveyancing practitioners handling conveyancing in Berkshire to continue to propose a a chancel search and or insurance against a claim.
I have justfound out that Action Conveyancing have been shut down. They conducted my conveyancing in Berkshire for a purchase of a leasehold apartment 18 months ago. How can I establish that my home is registered correctly in the name of the former proprietor?
The quickest method to see if the property is in your name, you can make a search of the land registry (£3.00). You can either do this yourself or ask a law firm to do this for you. If you are not registered you can seek help from one of a number of Berkshire conveyancing specialists.
My husband and I are FTB’s - agreed a price, but the selling agent advised that the vendor will only move forward if we use their chosen conveyancers as they need an ‘expedited deal’. Our preferred option is to instruct a local solicitor with experience of conveyancing in Berkshire
We suspect that the owner is not behind this demand. Should the seller require ‘a quick sale', taking such a hostile approach to a motivated buyer is going to damage their objectives. Bypass the agents and go straight to the owners and make sure they understand (a)you are keen to buy (b)you are excited to move forward, with mortgage lined up © you are unencumbered (d) you intend to proceed fast (e)but you intend to instruct your preferred Berkshire conveyancing solicitors - rather thanthose that will provide the estate agent a commission or achieve conveyancing figures set by head office.