My fiance and I are hoping to acquire a flat in Blakedown and are in fact using a Blakedown conveyancing firm. Within the last couple of days our lawyer has sent a preliminary report and documents to look through in anticipation of exchanging contracts shortly. Britannia have this evening contacted us to inform me that there is now an issue as our Blakedown lawyer is not on their approved list of lawyers. What do we do from here?
When purchasing a property with the benefit of a mortgage it is usual for the purchasers' lawyers to also act for the mortgage company. In order to act for a bank or building society a law firm has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the law firm to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the firm has to satisfy and indeed some lenders now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Accreditation Scheme. Your property lawyer should contact your mortgage company and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own lawyers to represent them. You don't have to instruct a firm on the bank's conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own Blakedown solicitors, in which case your legal fees may increase, and it may delay matters as you are adding another lawyer into the mix.
I am the sole beneficiary of my late grandmother’s estate and I have everything in my name alone, including the my former home in Blakedown. The Blakedown property was put into my name in January. I want to move. I do know about the CML six month 'rule', meaning my proprietorship may be considered the same way as if I'd bought the house in January. Do I have to wait half a year to sell?
The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ handbook instructs 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 banks take of it, depend on the bank as this requirement is principally there to pick up on subsales or the flipping of property.
Is it correct that all Blakedown CQS (Conveyancing Quality Scheme) solicitors are on the Lloyds conveyancing panel?
A selection of lenders now utilise CQS as the starting point for Panel approval such as HSBC and Santander. The Law Society’s CQS accreditation however gives no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. That being said,the CML have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for solicitor practices wishing to join their approved list of conveyancing solicitors.
The formalities of my purchase has taken place for my property in Blakedown. Conveyancing was satisfactory but I feel I should register my dissatisfaction about the lender. How does one go about formally complaining?
Almost all banks and building societies have complaints procedures. Your first port of call should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Care Team at head office. Ordinarily complaints to a lender are resolved effectively and efficiently. If you feel the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service who will take matters further.
I have a semi-detached Edwardian house in Blakedown. Conveyancing lawyer represented me and TSB. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and there are two entries: the first freehold, the second leasehold under the exact same address. If a house is not a freehold shouldn't I have been informed?
You should read the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Blakedown and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they remortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with lenders. You can also question the situation with the conveyancing practitioner who conducted the conveyancing.
My uncle has encouraged me to use his conveyancing solicitors in Blakedown. Should I choose my own solicitor?
Much as we are happy to recommend a Blakedown conveyancing lawyer it’s preferable to choose a conveyancing practitioner is to seek recommendations from friends or family who have actually experience in using the solicitor you're are thinking of instructing.
Estate agents have just been given the go-ahead to market my basement apartment in Blakedown. Conveyancing lawyers have not yet been instructed, however I have just received a yearly maintenance charge demand – what should I do?
The sensible thing to do is pay the service charge as normal because all rents and service invoices should be allotted as part of the financial calculations for completion monies, so you will be reimbursed by the buyer for the period running from after the completion date to the subsequent invoice date. Most management companies will not acknowledge the buyer unless 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. This will smooth the conveyancing process.
Leasehold Conveyancing in Blakedown - Examples of Questions you should consider Prior to Purchasing
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Where a Blakedown lease has less than 80 years it will impact the marketability of the flat. It is worth checking with your bank that they are happy with residual term of the lease. A short lease means that you will almost definitely have to extend the lease at some point and it is worth discovering how much this will be. For most Blakedownlease extensions you would need to own the residence for two years in order to be entitled to extend the lease. Does the lease include onerous restrictions? Are there any major works anticipated that will likely add a premium to the maintenance costs?
Me and myfiance and I are searching for a responsive conveyancing solicitor in Blakedown to assist me in selling my flat. I I am fearful of appointing the wrong one but with lots of Blakedown conveyancing solicitors out there...who do I opt for?
An independent personal recommendation from a friend or family member who has used a conveyancing solicitor before is no doubt a preferable. Almost everyone has used a conveyancing solicitor previously. Feel free to utilise our tool to compare Blakedown conveyancing quotes