My lawyer in Cheltenham is not on the Aldermore Solicitor Panel. Is it possible for me to retain my family solicitor notwithstanding that they are excluded from the Aldermore panel of approved conveyancing solicitors?
Your options are as follows:
- Complete the purchase with your existing Cheltenham lawyers but Aldermore will need to retain a conveyancer on their list of acceptable firms. This will inevitably rack up the overall conveyancing charges as well as result in frustration.
- Find an alternative practitioner to to deal with the conveyancing, obviously checking they are Persuade your lawyer to use their best endeavours to join the Aldermore conveyancing panel
Is it the case that all Cheltenham CQS (Conveyancing Quality Scheme) solicitors are on the Santander conveyancing list of approved practices?
Some major lenders now make use of CQS as the starting point for Panel approval such as HSBC and Santander. CQS accreditation however is no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. That being said,the Council of Mortgage Lenders have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for solicitors wishing to join their approved list of conveyancing solicitors.
We previously instructed conveyancers located in Cheltenham on the Bank of Ireland solicitor approved list. They are now charging me an additional amount for handling the Bank of Ireland mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee specified by Bank of Ireland?
Unfortunately, so long as it is in their Terms of Engagement or estimate then yes your conveyancer can levy a fee for this. This fee is not dictated by Bank of Ireland but by your Cheltenham conveyancing practitioner. Some firms on the Bank of Ireland panel will levy an ‘acting for lender’ fee and others do not.
We expect to receive a AIP from Lloyds this week so we can work out what to offer on a property we like as otherwise we only have online calculators to go by (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do Lloyds recommend any Cheltenham solicitors on the Lloyds conveyancing panel, or is it better to find our own lawyer?
You will need to appoint Cheltenham solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the Lloyds conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and Lloyds through the process.
I have recentlyfound out that Arc property Solicitors have been shut down. They carried out my conveyancing in Cheltenham for a purchase of a freehold house 9 months ago. How can I be sure that the property is in my name in the name of the former proprietor?
The quickest method to see if the property is registered to you, you can make a search of the land registry (£3.00). You can either do this yourself or ask a law firm to do this for you. If you are not registered you can seek help from one of a number of Cheltenham conveyancing specialists.
How does conveyancing in Cheltenham differ for newly converted properties?
Most buyers of new build residence in Cheltenham approach us having been asked by the builder to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the premises is constructed. This is because new home sellers in Cheltenham typically buy the land, 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 accustomed to new build conveyancing in Cheltenham or who has acted in the same development.
Due to the advice of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a house in Cheltenham prior to retaining solicitors. I have been told that there is a flying freehold aspect to the property. The surveyor advised that some lenders tend refuse to give a mortgage on a flying freehold house.
It varies from the lender to lender. HSBC has different instructions from Birmingham Midshires. If you contact us we can check via the relevant lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Cheltenham. Conveyancing will be smoother if you use a solicitor in Cheltenham especially if they are accustomed to such properties in Cheltenham.
Taking into account that I am about to spend £400,000 on a house in Cheltenham I wish to have a conversation with the lawyer regarding thetransaction in advance of appointing the firm. Is this something that you can arrange?
This is something that we recommend - we would be happy to talk to you we do not take any clients on without you speaking to the solicitor due to be doing your property ownership legalities in Cheltenham.There is no ‘factory style conveyancing’ - every client is an important person, not a case reference. The solicitors that we put you in touch with believe that the figure you are quoted for residential conveyancing in Cheltenham should be the figure that you are charged.