Me and my fiance are buying a 1 bedroom apartment in Blackpool with a mortgage. We wish to retain our Blackpool lawyer, however the bank advise he's not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the bank panel solicitors or continue with our Blackpool solicitor as well as pay for one of their panel ones to act for them. This seems very unfair; is there anything we can do?
Unfortunately,no. The mortgage offered to you is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the lender’s conveyancing panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. A further alternative is for your Blackpool conveyancing lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.
IfI were to acquire a straightforward homein Blackpool for cash and have no survey and no local authority searches how much could I expect to have to pay for conveyancing in Blackpool?
Any savings you would make will be limited to the Blackpool conveyancing searches. The property lawyer still be obliged to do everything else - money laundering, liaising with the sellers conveyancer, SDLT submission, register the property etc. You might save a bit for them not having to register a charge but it will not be significant.
We note that you have a search directory identifying firms on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel. Do firms pay you a commission if I retain them for our conveyancing in Blackpool?
We are a listing service only for law firms wishing to communicate if they are on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel or other lender panels. We do not charge referral fees to any conveyancer that you subsequently appoint for your conveyancing in Blackpool.
I am the only recipient of my late father’s will with all property in now in my sole name, including the house in Blackpool. The Blackpool property was put into my name in June. I want to move. I do know about the Mortgage Lenders six month 'rule', meaning my property ownership will be regarded the same way as though I had purchased the house in June. Is the property unsalable for six months?
The CML handbook obliges solicitors to: "report to us immediately if the owner or registered proprietor has been registered for less than six months." By the strict wording you might be impacted by that. How practical a view lenders take of it, depend on the mortgage company as this clause primarily exists to pick up on subsales or the flipping of properties.
We had appointed conveyancing lawyers with offices in Blackpool on the RBS solicitor approved list. They are now charging me an additional sum for handling the RBS mortgage. Is this a supplemental conveyancing fee specified by RBS?
As unfair as it may seem, as long as it’s in their Terms of Engagement or estimate then yes your conveyancer may levy a fee for this. This charge is not dictated by RBS but by your Blackpool property lawyer. Plenty of firms on the RBS panel will levy an ‘acting for lender’ fee but some practices incorporate it on their overall fee.
Having read lots of mortgage guides, I note that it is considered advisable to get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Blackpool solicitor - who is on the RBS conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. Is that normal?
RBS will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually RBS will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. Your property lawyer will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by your Blackpool postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with RBS, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Blackpool.
I am selling our property in Blackpool and the buyers lawyers are claiming that there is a possibility that the property was built on contaminated land. Any high street Blackpool lawyer would know that there is no such problem. It does beg the question why the purchasers used an internet conveyancing practice as opposed to a conveyancing solicitor in Blackpool. Having lived in Blackpool for three years we know that this is a non issue. Should we contact our local Authority to seek confirmation that there is no issue.
It would appear that you have a conveyancing lawyer already. Are they able to advise? You should check with your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out life insurance to cover that same illness)
How simple is it to swap firm as I have to appoint a firm on the Barnsley Building Society conveyancing list. I instructed a high street conveyancing solicitor in Blackpool round the corner but he is not accepted by Barnsley Building Society
It would be our pleasure to assist you find a conveyancing solicitor in Blackpool on the Barnsley Building Society panel. Please note that the property lawyers that we work with do not pay us fee if you instruct them and are authorised and regulated by the SRA who regulate all conveyancing solicitors in Blackpool. Using search facility on this website, you can compare costs for conveyancing solicitors in Blackpool and beyond.