My husband and I are purchasing a 3 bedroom flat in Bloxham with a mortgage from Skipton Building Society.We use our Bloxham conveyancing lawyer but Skipton Building Society says her practice is not on their approved list of member firms. We have to appoint a Skipton Building Society panel firm or retain our preferred solicitor and fork out for a Skipton Building Society panel lawyer to act for them. This seems very unfair; Can we not simply insist that Skipton Building Society use our lawyer?
No, not really. The mortgage offered to you is subject to its terms and conditions, a common one being that lawyers must be on the Skipton Building Society conveyancing panel. Until recently, most banks had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could find 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. Another option that might be available is for your lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel for Skipton Building Society
I'm the only beneficiary of my late father’s will with all property in now in my sole name, including the house in Bloxham. The Bloxham property was put into my name in June. I want to move. I do know about the Mortgage Lenders 6 month 'rule', meaning my proprietorship could be treated the same way as though I had purchased the house in June. Is the property unsalable for six months?
The CML handbook mandates 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 could be affected by that. many banks would take a practical view as this obligation primarily exists to pick up on the purchase and immediately sell or the quick reselling of properties.
We had instructed conveyancing lawyers based in Bloxham on the Bank of Ireland solicitor approved list. They have just billed me an additional amount for the legal aspects of the Bank of Ireland mortgage. Is this a supplemental conveyancing fee specified by Bank of Ireland?
Provided it is contained in their Terms of Engagement or estimate then yes your property lawyer is entitled to charge a fee for this. The charge is not set by Bank of Ireland but by your Bloxham solicitor. Numerous firms on the Bank of Ireland panel will charge an ‘acting for lender’ fee but plenty of firms include it on their overall fee.
I currently have a mortgage with Yorkshire BS for my property in Bloxham. Conveyancing was finalised 12 months ago. In the event that I decide to rent out the flat and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a buy-to-let mortgage or inform Yorkshire BS?
You must advise Yorkshire BS prior to renting your property as this is likely to be a breach of Yorkshire BS’s mortgage conditions. It may be that Yorkshire BS will permit you to let out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact Yorkshire BS directly. You need not do this via a Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel solicitor.
We are intent on selling our property in Bloxham and the buyers lawyers are claiming that there is a possibility that the property was constructed land that was not decontaminated. Any local conveyancer would know that there is no such problem. It does beg the question why the purchasers used a national conveyancing outfit rather than a conveyancing solicitor in Bloxham. We have lived in Bloxham for many years we know of no issue. Should we get in touch with our local Authority to seek confirmation that the buyers are looking for.
It would appear that you have a conveyancing solicitor already. What do they say? You must 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 health insurance to cover that same ailment)
How does conveyancing in Bloxham differ for newly converted properties?
Most buyers of new build or newly converted property in Bloxham come to us having been asked by the seller to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the house is constructed. This is because builders in Bloxham usually purchase the site, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct property lawyers as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are used to new build conveyancing in Bloxham or who has acted in the same development.
Am I right to be wary about estate agents that I am dealing with are recommending an internet conveyancing firm as opposed to a local Bloxham conveyancing firm?
As is the case with many service providers, often suggestions from relatives can be extremely useful or valuable. Nevertheless there are many parties with a keen interest in a conveyancing deal; estate agents, mortgage brokers and lenders might all suggest conveyancers to choose. Sometimes these conveyancers might be known to one of the organisations as experts in their field, but occasionally there behind the scenes financial incentive behind the recommendation. You are at liberty to choose your preferred conveyancer. Don't forget that many mortgage providers have an approved list of conveyancers you are obliged to use for the lender aspect of your conveyancing.
As co-executor for the will of my aunt I am disposing of a house in Cardiff but live in Bloxham. My conveyancer (who is 250 kilometers awayhas requested that I sign a stat dec before the transaction finalising. Could you suggest a conveyancing lawyer in Bloxham who can witness this legal document for me?
strictly speaking you are not likely to need to have the documents attested by a conveyancing solicitor. Normally or notary public or qualified solicitor will suffice regardless of whether they are based in Bloxham