My partner and I are refinancing our apartment in Buckfastleigh with Coventry BS. We have a son 19 who lives with us. Our solicitor has asked us to disclose anyone over the age of 17 other than ourselves who reside at the property. The solicitor has now sent a form for our son to sign, giving up any rights in the event that the flat is forfeited by the lender. I have a couple of questions (1) Is this document specific to the Coventry BS conveyancing panel as he did not need to sign this form when we bought 3 years ago (2) Does our son by signing this compromise his entitlement to inherit the property?
On the face of it your lawyer has done nothing wrong as it is established procedure for any occupier who is aged 17 or over to sign the necessary Consent Form, which is purely to state that any rights he has in the property are postponed and secondary to Coventry BS. This is solely used to protect Coventry BS if the property were re-possessed so that in such circumstances, your son would be legally obliged to leave. It does not impact your son’s right to inherit the apartment. Please note that if your son were to inherit and the mortgage in favour of Coventry BS had not been discharged, he would be liable to take over the loan or pay it off, but other than that, there is nothing stopping him from keeping the property in accordance with your will or the rules of intestacy.
It is a dozen years since I bought my property in Buckfastleigh. Conveyancing lawyers have just been retained on the sale but I can't locate my title documents. Is this a major issue?
Don’t worry too much. Firstly the deeds may be with the lender or they may be in the possession of the solicitor who handled your purchase. Secondly the likelihood is that the land will be recorded at the land registry and you will be able to prove you are the registered owner by your conveyancing lawyers procuring up to date copy of the land registers. Nearly all conveyancing in Buckfastleigh relates to registered property but in the unlikely event that your home is unregistered it is more of a problem but is resolvable.
Is it correct that all Buckfastleigh CQS (Conveyancing Quality Scheme) solicitors are on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing list of approved practices?
Some major banks and building societies now make use of the accreditation scheme as the kick off point for Panel membership such as HSBC and Santander. The Law Society’s CQS membership however gives no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. Nevertheless,the Council of Mortgage Lenders have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for firms wishing to remain on their approved list of conveyancing solicitors.
Is there a list of Co-operative panel conveyancers in Buckfastleigh on the Council of Mortgage Lender’s Website?
No. There is no such tool on the Council of Mortgage Lenders or Building Society Association websites. Very few lending institutions make their panel listings viewable over the internet. If you are in need of a Buckfastleigh conveyancing practitioner on the Co-operative please make the most of our tool.
The formalities of my purchase has taken place for my property in Buckfastleigh. Conveyancing was satisfactory but I feel I should register my dissatisfaction about the lender. Who do I contact should I wish to lodge a complaint?
Almost all lenders have complaints procedures. Your first port of call should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Care Team at head office. We understand that complaints to a lender are sorted out effectively and efficiently. However if you are not satisfied that the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service, South Quay Plaza, 183 Marsh Wall, London E14 9SR who will take matters further.
My colleague recommended that if I am buying in Buckfastleigh I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?
A search of this type is sometimes included in the estimate for your Buckfastleigh conveyancing searches. It is not a small report of more than thirty pages, listing and detailing significant information about Buckfastleigh around the property and the people living there. It includes an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the Buckfastleigh Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the demographics of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average House Prices, Crime details, Buckfastleigh Education with plans and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data regarding Buckfastleigh.
Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly identified as part of conveyancing in Buckfastleigh?
Restrictive covenants can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the process of conveyancing in Buckfastleigh. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’
I am looking for a conveyancing solicitor in Buckfastleigh for my house move. Is there any facility to check a solicitor's complaints history with the legal regulator?
Anyone can find presented Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) determinations resulting from inquisitions from 2008 onwards. Visit Check a solicitor's record. To find details Pre 2008, or to check a firm's record, call 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and 09.30 - 18.00 Tuesday. For non-uk callers, use +44 (0)121 329 6800. The SRA could recorded telephone calls for training reasons.