I am 4 weeks into the sale of my ground floor flat in County Durham and the estate agent has just e-mailed to advise that the buyers are appointing a new solicitor. The excuse is that the mortgage company will only engage with solicitors on their approved list. On what basis would a major lender only deal with certain lawyers rather the firm that they want to select for their conveyancing in County Durham ?
Banks have always had an approved set of law firms they are content to work with, but in the past few years big names such as Yorkshire Building Society, have considered and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have acted for them for over 25 years.
Lenders attribute this action to a rise in fraud by way of justification for the cull – criteria have been tightened as a smaller panel is easier to keep an eye on. Banks tend not to reveal how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society claims that it is hearing daily from firms that have been removed from panels. Some are unaware that they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyers' case. Your purchasers are unlikely to have any sway in the decision.
How up to date is your search tool for County Durham conveyancing solicitors on the RBS conveyancing panel? Do RBS send you an updated list?
County Durham conveyancing firms themselves provide us confirmation that they are on the RBS conveyancing panel as opposed to being supplied with a list from RBS directly.
I've recently found out that there is a flying freehold element on a house I put an offer in a fortnight ago in what should have been a simple, no chain conveyancing. County Durham is where the house is located. Is there any advice you can impart?
Flying freeholds in County Durham are rare but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even though you don't necessarily need a conveyancing solicitor in County Durham you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds very carefully. Your bank may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in County Durham may determine that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold premises.
What tools are available to identify a County Durham solicitor on the Barclays conveyancing panel? I drive a motor bike and am willing to travel upto 20miles to meet the solicitor.
Feel free to make use of the search on this page. Please choose the lender and your location and you will see a number of County Durham conveyancing lawyers located nearest you. We have detailed some County Durham conveyancing firms towards the end of this page and you can ring them to verify whether they are on the Barclays panel
I need to appoint a conveyancing solicitor for residential conveyancing in County Durham. I happened to chance upon a site which looks to be the ideal solution If it is possible to get all formalities done via web that would be preferable. Should I be wary? What should out be looking out for?
As usual with these online conveyancers you need to read ALL the small print - did you notice the extra charge for dealing with the mortgage?
I am hoping to put an offer on a small detached house that seems to tick a lot of boxes, at a great figure which is making it all the more appealing. I have since found out that it's a leasehold rather than freehold. I would have thought that there are issues purchasing a house with a leasehold title in County Durham. Conveyancing advisers have are about to be instructed. Will my lawyers set out the implications of buying a leasehold house in County Durham ?
The majority of houses in County Durham are freehold and not leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local conveyancer used to dealing with such properties who can help the conveyancing process. it is apparent that you are buying in County Durham in which case you should be shopping around for a County Durham conveyancing practitioner and be sure that they have experience in dealing with leasehold houses. As a matter of priority you will need to check the number of years remaining. Being a tenant you will not be at liberty to do whatever you want to the property. The lease will likely included provisions such as requiring the landlord’sconsent to conduct changes to the property. You may also be required to pay a service charge towards the maintenance of the communal areas where the property is part of an estate. Your lawyer will report to you on the legal implications.