I am one month into the sale of my house in Billericay and the estate agent has just telephoned to advise that the purchasers are changing their law firm. The excuse is that the mortgage company will only engage with solicitors on their conveyancing panel. Why would a major lender only work with certain law firms rather the firm that they want to choose for their conveyancing in Billericay ?
Mortgage companies have always had panels of law firms they are content to work with, but in the last few years big names such as HSBC, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have represented them for more than 25 years.
Mortgage companies point to the increase in fraud as the reason for the pruning – criteria have been tightened as a smaller panel is easier to keep an eye on. No lender will say how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society says it is being contacted daily by practices that have been removed from panels. Plenty of firms do not even realise they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyers' case. Your buyers are not going to have any impact on this.
Can your site be used to find a Conveyancing solicitor in Billericay even if I’m not buying or disposing of a house, for example where I wish to buy an office in Billericay with a loan from The Mortgage Works?
The service is mainly utilised to get a quote from residential conveyancing solicitors in Billericay but we have set out at the bottom of this page a selection of Billericay commercial conveyancing firms. You will need to enquire with the firm directly to see if they can also act for The Mortgage Works
Please explain the implications if my lawyer’s firm is removed from the Nottingham Conveyancing panel ahead of completing my conveyancing in Billericay?
First, this is very unlikely to happen. In most cases even where a law firm is removed off of a panel the lender would allow the completion to go ahead as the lender would appreciate the difficulties that they would place you in if you have to instruct a new solicitor days before completion. In a worst case scenario where the lender insists that you instruct a new firm then it is possible for a very good lawyer to expedite the conveyancing albeit that you may pay a significant premium for this. The analogous situation is where a buyer instructs a lawyer, exchanges contracts and the law firm is shut down by a regulator such as the SRA. Again, in this situation you can find lawyers who can troubleshoot their way to bring the conveyancing to a satisfactory conclusion - albeit for a fee.
What is your number one tip for finding a conveyancing solicitor in Billericay
We would encourage you not to base your choice on the lowest Billericay conveyancing costs illustration. You really do get what you pay for when it comes to conveyancing solicitors. A cheap quote may mean that the conveyancing solicitor is handling a lot of jobs at one time and you won’t get the quality of service and the attention that you need. It is, however, wise to use a conveyancer who has a fixed fee on a no sale, no fee basis. This way, you go into the conveyancing with your eyes wide open.
Completion of my purchase has taken place for my property in Billericay. Conveyancing was satisfactory but I feel I should register my dissatisfaction about the lender. How do I make a complaint?
Almost all banks and building societies have complaints procedures. Your first point of contact should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Services Department at head office. In most cases complaints to a lender are sorted out very quickly. However if you are not satisfied that the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service with full details of your complaint.
I was told two weeks ago that my mortgage has been agreed to by Leeds Building Society. Is it usual for Leeds Building Society to only issue the offer once my solicitor in Billericay is approved on their conveyancing panel? Leeds Building Society have asked my solicitor to see a copy of their Professional Indemnity Insurance Schedule.
Mortgage companies tend not to not issue a mortgage until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Leeds Building Society to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.
I used Wolstenholmes a few years past for my conveyancing in Billericay. Now, I need the files but the law firm has closed. What do I do?
You should call the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to help locate your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Billericay of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously retained, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.
I am in need of some leasehold conveyancing in Billericay. Before diving in I would like to find out the remaining lease term.
If the lease is recorded at the land registry - and most are in Billericay - then the leasehold title will always include the basic details of the lease, namely the date; the term; and the original parties. From a conveyancing perspective such details then enable any prospective buyer and lender to confirm that any lease they are looking at is the one relevant to that title. For any other purpose, such as confirming how long the term was granted for and calculating what is left, then the register should be sufficient on it's own.
I acquired a 1st floor flat in Billericay, conveyancing having been completed December 2010. Can you please calculate a probable premium for a statutory lease extension? Similar properties in Billericay with over 90 years remaining are worth £201,000. The ground rent is £45 per annum. The lease ceases on 21st October 2090
With just 65 years left to run we estimate the price of your lease extension to range between £13,300 and £15,400 plus costs.
The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to provide a more accurate figure without more comprehensive due diligence. You should not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be other concerns that need to be considered and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action based on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.