My wife and I are looking to acquire a property in Corfe Mullen and are in fact using a Corfe Mullen conveyancing practice. Within the past 48 hours our lawyer has forwarded the sale agreement to be signed with a detailed report with the expectation that exchange is imminent. Godiva Mortgages Ltd have this morning contacted us to inform me that there is now an issue as our Corfe Mullen lawyer is not on their approved list of lawyers. Is this a problem?
If you are buying a property with the assistance of a mortgage it is conventional for the purchasers' solicitors to also represent the mortgage company. In order to act for a bank or building society a law firm has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the law firm to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the firm has to satisfy and indeed some lenders now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme. Your property lawyer should contact your bank and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own lawyers to represent them. You don't have to instruct a firm on the lender’s conveyancing panel as you are at liberty to use your preferred Corfe Mullen lawyers, in which case it will likely add costs, and it will likely delay the transaction as you have another set of people involved.
My Solicitor in Corfe Mullen has never been on on the Chelsea Building Society Solicitor Panel. Is it possible for me to continue with my prefered solicitor notwithstanding that they are not on the Chelsea Building Society list of approved lawyers?
Your options are as follows:
- Complete the purchase with your preferred Corfe Mullen lawyers but Chelsea Building Society will need to instruct a solicitor on their panel. This will inevitably rack up the overall conveyancing charges and result in delays.
- Choose a new lawyer to to deal with the purchase, obviously checking they are on the Chelsea Building Society panel
When it comes to lenders such as Coventry BS, do Corfe Mullen solicitors face a fee to be on the list of approved solicitors?
We are unaware of any bank fees to be on their panel, although some do charge an administration fee to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel submission.
I am currently in the process of buying my council flat in Corfe Mullen. I have a mortgage agreed with Lloyds. Conveyancing is new to me. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should have one. Any advice?
It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with Lloyds, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Lloyds conveyancing panel.
After much negotiation I have agreed a price on a house in Corfe Mullen. My mortgage broker pressured me to appoint their property lawyer. I paid an upfront payment of £225. Soon after, the conveyancer contacted me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the Principality conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?
You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Principality panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.
What will a local search inform me regarding the house my wife and I buying in Corfe Mullen?
Corfe Mullen conveyancing often starts with the ordering local authority searches directly from your local Authority or via a personal search company for example Onsearch The local search is essential in every Corfe Mullen conveyancing purchase; that is if you don’t want any unpleasant surprises after you move into your property. The search should provide information on, amongst other things, details on planning applications applicable to the premises (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 thirteen subject areas.
My wife and I purchased a terraced Georgian house in Corfe Mullen. Conveyancing lawyer represented me and Accord Mortgages Ltd. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and I saw two entries: the first freehold, the second leasehold under the matching address. I'd like to know for sure, how can I find out??
You need to read the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register as there may be mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Corfe Mullen and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they sell they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with buyers. You can also question the position with your conveyancing solicitor who conducted the conveyancing.
Do I need to be concerned by third parties that I am dealing with are suggesting an internet conveyancing firm rather than a High Street Corfe Mullen conveyancing practice?
As is the case with lots of professional services, often input from connections can be worth their weight in gold. Yet there are numerous parties with a keen interest in a conveyancing matter; estate agents, mortgage brokers and mortgage companies may recommend solicitors to choose. Sometimes these lawyers might be known to one of the organisations as one of the best in their field, but occasionally there is an underlying commercial relationship behind the endorsement. You have the discretion to select your own conveyancer. Don't forget that the majority of lenders specify a panel list of lawyers you must use for the mortgage aspect of your transaction.