Me and my partner are acquiring an apartment in Burslem. My property lawyer is not listed on the mortgage company conveyancing list. Is it possible for me to retain my Burslem conveyancing solicitor even though they are excluded from the lender list of approved lawyers?
You have a couple of alternatives available to you here
- Complete the purchase with your preferred Burslem conveyancer but your mortgage company will need to retain a property lawyer on their conveyancing panel. The net result is additional charges and probable delay.
- Appoint a fresh solicitor to conduct the conveyancing, making sure they are on the mortgage company conveyancing panel.
- Convince your conveyancing practitioner to pull out all the stops to get listed on the bank’s panel of solicitors
The owners of the home we are hoping to buy hired a conveyancing practitioner in Burslem who has insisted on a preliminary contract with a payment 10k. Is it wise to enter into such agreements?
There are a couple of primary drawbacks with entering into any lock out agreement (also known as a no-shop agreement) is that it can distract from making progress with the conveyancing work, so unless it requires minimal or no negotiation then it may transpire to be unhelpful. It is not promoted amongst Burslem conveyancing lawyers as a result. A further negative is the extent of the remedies available - an aggrieved purchaser is not likely to be granted injunctive relief to prohibit the owner completing the sale to an alternative purchaser, so the only remedy open via the contract will be the recovery of wasted charges and, in restricted situations, the additional payment of penalties.
My wife and I have recently appointed a conveyancing solicitor in Burslem. I I would like to check if they are accepted on the HSBC Bank approved list of lawyers. Could you advise?
The first thing you should do is e-mail your solicitor and enquire if they can act for the bank. Alternatively you should call HSBC Bank who may be able to help.
Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to our house can not be found. The solicitors who conducted the conveyancing in Burslem 10 years ago are no longer around. What do I do?
As long as you have a registered title the information relating to your proprietorship will be documented by HMLR with a Title Number. It is easy to execute a search at the Land Registry, find your house and secure current copies of the Registered Entries for a small fee. Where the title is Leasehold then the Land Registry will usually hold a certified copy of the Registered Lease and again, a copy can be ordered for a small fee.
Do I need to be wary that estate agents that I am dealing with are recommending an internet conveyancing firm as opposed to a local Burslem conveyancing company?
As with many service providers, often suggestions from family and friends can be worth their weight in gold. But there are many people with a vested interest in a conveyancing deal; estate agents, financial adviser and banks might all suggest lawyers to use. On occasion the conveyancers might be known to one of the organisations as experts in their field, but occasionally there may be a financial incentive behind the endorsement. You have the discretion to appoint your preferred conveyancer. Don't forget that some banks specify a panel list of lawyers you have to use for the mortgage related work in your conveyancing.
Much to my surprise my property lawyer in Burslem is asking me for ID documents saying that this is part of his legal duty as a solicitor on the mortgage company Solicitor panel. Can you confirm whether this is the case?
Anti-terror and anti-money-laundering rules require Burslem conveyancing solicitors and licensed conveyancers to verify the identity of the person or body they are dealing with before they can accept their conveyancing business. The Client Care letter that you need to sign will no doubt confirm this. Your lawyer is right that the mortgage company also require certain documents to be viewed. If a you refuse to provide ID verification documents, your conveyancer would not be able to accept instructions from you. Your lawyer also has obligations to obtain certain documents in accordance with the mortgage company's UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook requirements