IfI were to acquire a freehold homein Birkenhead for cash and dispense with a survey and no local authority searches how much could I expect to to save on my conveyancing in Birkenhead?
Any savings you would make would be limited to the Birkenhead conveyancing searches. A lawyer is required to do the vast majority of work - money laundering, communicating with the vendors lawyer, stamp duty return, register the ownership etc. A marginal saving might be made by not having to register a charge but it will not be significant.
The Birkenhead conveyancing firm that I recently instructed on my purchase in Birkenhead have without warning closed. I only went with them because I had to have a firm on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel and my preferred Birkenhead lawyer was not. I wrote them a cheque for £250 in advance. What do I do now?
If you have an estate agent involved then inform them immediately so that they can let the sellers know that there may be a slight delay due to reasons beyond your control. Most sellers would be sympathetic and urge their lawyer to send a new set of papers to your new solicitors. You will need to appoint new lawyers that are on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel and notify the lender. If you have paid over any money, it will hopefully be held by the SRA as money in an intervened firm's bank accounts is transferred to the SRA. Then, the SRA or the intervention agent looks at the intervened firm's accounts to work out who the money belongs to. To claim your money you will need to contact the SRA. If the SRA cannot return money you are owed from the firm's bank accounts, or if they can only return part of the money, you can apply to the Compensation Fund for a grant. Your new lawyers may be able to help.
Will our solicitor be making enquiries about flooding during the conveyancing in Birkenhead.
Flooding is a growing risk for lawyers specialising in conveyancing in Birkenhead. There are those who purchase a house in Birkenhead, fully expectant that at some time, it may be flooded. However, aside from the physical damage, where a house is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to get a mortgage, suitable insurance cover, or dispose of the premises. There are steps that can be taken as part of the conveyancing process to forewarn the buyer.
Lawyers are not best placed to impart advice on flood risk, but there are a number of searches that may be initiated by the purchaser or by their solicitors which should give them a better appreciation of the risks in Birkenhead. The conventional set of property information forms sent to a purchaser’s lawyer (where the Conveyancing Protocol is adopted) includes a standard inquiry of the seller to find out if the premises has suffered from flooding. In the event that the residence has been flooded in past which is not notified by the seller, then a purchaser could bring a legal claim for losses as a result of such an inaccurate answer. The purchaser’s solicitors will also order an enviro report. This should higlight if there is any known flood risk. If so, more detailed investigations should be conducted.
It has been four months since my purchase conveyancing in Birkenhead concluded. I have checked the Land Registry website which shows that I paid £200,000 when infact I paid £160,000. Why the discrepancy?
The price paid figure is taken from the application to register the purchase. It is the figure included in the Transfer (the legal deed which transfers the premises from one person to the other) and referred to as the 'consideration' or purchase price. You can report an error in the price paid figure using the LR online form. In most cases errors result from typos so at first glance the figure. Do report it so they can double check and advise.
I am looking for a conveyancing lawyer in Birkenhead for my home move. Is there any facility to review a firm’s complaints history with the legal regulator?
Members of the public can find documented Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) decisions stemming from investigations from 2008 onwards. Go to Check a solicitor's record. To find details Pre 2008, or to check a firm's history, phone 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and 09.30 - 18.00 Tuesday. International callers, use +44 (0)121 329 6800. The regulator could recorded telephone calls for training reasons.
My conveyancers in Birkenhead have advised me that they can not locate my conveyancing file. To assist with my purchase I took out a mortgage with the bank. Is it case that being on the bank conveyancing panel they need to have retained the file for a number of years?
It very much depends from lender to lender but many of the Terms and Conditions of Conveyancing Panel Appointment require the file to be held for a period of 6 years. That being said we have not seen a copy of the lender Conveyancing Panel Terms. It might be worth you contacting the lender directly.