My husband and I are buying a 1 bedroom apartment in Bristol with a mortgage. We like our Bristol lawyer, but the lender says he's not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the mortgage company panel conveyancing practices or keep our Bristol conveyancer and pay for one of their panel lawyers to act for them. We regard this is inequitable; can we not require that the mortgage company use our Bristol conveyancer ?
No, not really. 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. Another option that might be available is for your Bristol conveyancing solicitor to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.
We see that you have a search directory listing law firms on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel. Do companies pay you a referral fee if I instruct them for our own conveyancing in Bristol?
We are a listing service only for law firms wishing to communicate if they are on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel or other lender panels. We do not charge referral fees to any conveyancer that you subsequently appoint for your conveyancing in Bristol.
I am buying a property and require a conveyancing solicitor in Bristol who is on the Nationwide Building Society conveyancing. Can you recommend a local solicitor?
Our service is limited to being a directory service for firms who wish to listed as being on the approved conveyancing panel for Nationwide Building Society in certain locations such as Bristol. We dont recommend any particular firm.
is it true that all Bristol conveyancing solicitors on the Aldermore conveyancing panel are governed by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority?
As a firm of solicitors, in order to be on the Aldermore approved list of solicitors they would need to be regulated by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority. Some banks do allow licenced conveyancers on their panel in which case such firms would be regulated by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.
I have a mortgage with Aldermore for my property in Bristol. Conveyancing was finalised months ago. If I am intending 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 Aldermore?
Aldermore must be informed of your intention prior to renting your property as this is likely to be a breach of Aldermore’s mortgage conditions. It may be that Aldermore will allow you to rent 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 Aldermore directly. You need not do this via a Aldermore conveyancing panel solicitor.
After shopping around on the internet I have found a Bristol lawyer having made sure that they are on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?
Bank of Ireland will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Bank of Ireland 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 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 Bristol postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Bank of Ireland, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Bristol.
Is it best to choose a Bristol conveyancing lawyer in close proximity to the house I am hoping to buy? We have a good friend who can handle the legal work but his firm is located 300miles drive away.
The benefit of a high street Bristol conveyancing practice is that you can pop in to execute documents, deliver your ID and pester them where appropriate. Having local Bristol know how is a bonus. That being said it's more important to get someone that will pull out all the stops for you. If if people you trust used your friend and they were impressed that must trump using an unknown Bristol conveyancing lawyer solely due to them being local.
Can a conveyancer remove someone from the title of my property in Bristol ?
Subtracting or adding someone to the title of your home is relatively straightforward. You’ll need to appoint a conveyancing practitioner to discuss your legal rights before you can proceed with a transfer of property. Contact us to book a free consultation with one a conveyancing practitioner