Am I correct in assuming that the fact that my solicitor in Burnham is not listed on my mortgage company's solicitor panel that there is a problem with the quality of his conveyancing?
That is most likely an incorrect assumption to make. There are all sorts of perfectly plausible explanations. Just recently a report by the solicitors regulator indicated that over three quarters of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The top 5 reasons are as follows: (1) low volume of transactions (2) the lawyer is a sole practitioner (3) as part of the HSBC panel reduction (4) regulatory contact by SRA (5) accidental removal. Where you are concerned you should simply call the Burnham conveyancing practice and enquire why they are no longer on the approved list for your lender.
My property lawyer in Burnham is not on the Godiva Mortgages Ltd Conveyancing Panel. Can I still continue with my family solicitor notwithstanding that they are not on the Godiva Mortgages Ltd approved list?
The limited options open to you here include:
- Carry on with your existing Burnham solicitors but Godiva Mortgages Ltd will need to use a lawyer on their list of acceptable firms. This will inevitably rack up the total conveyancing charges and result in delays.
- Choose a new lawyer to to deal with the purchase, remembering to check they are Persuade your lawyer to use their best endeavours to join the Godiva Mortgages Ltd conveyancing panel
What can a local search inform me regarding the house my wife and I purchasing in Burnham?
Burnham conveyancing often commences with the ordering local authority searches directly from your local Authority or via a personal search company for instance Xpress Legal The local search plays an important part in many a Burnham conveyancing purchase; as long as you wish to avoid any nasty once you have moved into your new home. The search will reveal data on, amongst other things, details on planning applications relevant to the property (whether granted or refused), building control history, any enforcement action, restrictions on permitted development, nearby road schemes, contaminated land and radon gas; in all a total of 13 subject areas.
Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly picked up during conveyancing in Burnham?
Restrictive covenants can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the legal transfer of property in Burnham. 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…’
Over the last few months I have been searching for a leasehold apartment up to £245,000 and identified one near me in Burnham I like with a park and transport links nearby, however it's only got 52 years on the lease. There is not much else in Burnham in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake acquiring a short lease?
If you need a home loan that many years may be problematic. Discount the offer by the anticipated lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current owner has owned the property for a minimum of 2 years you could ask them to start the process of the extension and pass it to you. You can add 90 years to the current lease term and have £0 ground rent by law. You should consult your conveyancing lawyer regarding this matter.
Your search tool is useful but there are many lawyers listed near Burnham being on the bank conveyancing panel. Can you recommend a specific firm on the conveyancing panel for our mortgage company?
We are not in the business of recommending one firm above another as the right Burnham conveyancing solicitor for you depends on where your priorities lie. For example you may require a local firm with Burnham knowledge or you might be looking for the low cost conveyancing. We recommend that you speak to 3 or 4 lawyers listed before you make your choice..