We are purchasing a 2 bedroom apartment in Congleton with a mortgage. We wish to retain our Congleton solicitor, however the lender says he's not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the lender panel firms or keep our Congleton conveyancing practitioner and pay for one of their panel firms to represent them. This feels very unfair; are we not able to require that the lender use our Congleton solicitor ?
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 bank’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. A further alternative is for your Congleton conveyancing solicitor to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.
Our lawyer has discovered a defect with the lease for the apartment we are buying in Congleton. The seller’s lawyers have put forward title insurance as a workaround. We are happy with insurance and will pay for it. Our conveyancing practitioner says that he must be satisfied that the bank is content with this solution. Who is the client here, us or the mortgage company ?
The short answer to your last question is that, notwithstanding the risk of a conflict of interest, you and the bank are the client. Your property lawyer must comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook conditions. The UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook conditions require your lawyer to disclose issues such as defects with the lease so that the mortgage company can be afforded the opportunity to check with their valuer as to the extent that the value of the property is affected. Should you refuse to allow your lawyer to make the appropriate notification then your solicitor will have no choice but to discontinue acting for you.
Can I use your services to find a Conveyancing solicitor in Congleton even where I’m not purchasing or disposing of a house, for example if I intend to buy a shop in Congleton with a loan from Platform Home Loans Ltd?
Our comparison service is primarily used to get a quote from residential conveyancing solicitors in Congleton but we have set out at the end of this page a few Congleton commercial conveyancing firms. You will need to make contact with the company directly to see if they can also act for Platform Home Loans Ltd
A friend recommended that if I am buying in Congleton I should ask my conveyancer to perform a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. What does it cover?
A search of this type is occasionally quoted for as part of the standard Congleton conveyancing searches. It is not a small report of more than thirty pages, listing and detailing important information about Congleton around the property and the people living there. It incorporates an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the Congleton Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the demographics of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average Property Price, Crime statistics, Local Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data regarding Congleton.
What advice can you give us when it comes to finding a Congleton conveyancing practice to deal with our lease extension?
If you are instructing a property lawyer for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Congleton conveyancing practice) it is essential that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We suggest that you make enquires with two or three firms including non Congleton conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. Where the conveyancing practice is ALEP accredited then so much the better. The following questions might be helpful:
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What are the costs for lease extension work? If they are not ALEP accredited then what is the reason?
I inherited a 1st floor flat in Congleton, conveyancing formalities finalised 3 years ago. How much will my lease extension cost? Corresponding properties in Congleton with a long lease are worth £201,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £45 invoiced annually. The lease finishes on 21st October 2089
You have 64 years unexpired we estimate the price of your lease extension to range between £15,200 and £17,600 plus legals.
The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs without more comprehensive investigations. You should not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be additional issues that need to be taken into account and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you move forward placing reliance on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.
I note that you have a search directory listing firms on the mortgage company conveyancing panel. Do Congleton conveyancing companies pay you a referral fee if I appoint them for my own conveyancing?
We are a listing service only for law firms wishing to communicate if they are on the lender conveyancing panel or other lender panels. We do not charge referral fees to the any conveyancer that you subsequently appoint for your conveyancing in Congleton.