Is the fact that my conveyancer in Darley Abbey is not identified on my lender's conveyancing panel that there is a problem with the standard of her conveyancing?
That would more than likely be a wrong assumption to make. There are plenty of reasonable explanations. A recent report by the solicitors regulator revealed that over three quarters of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The most common reasons for removal are: (1) lack of transactions (2) the lawyer is a sole practitioner (3) as part of the HSBC panel reduction (4) regulatory contact by SRA (5) accidental removal. Where you are concerned you should simply call the Darley Abbey conveyancing firm and ask them why they are no longer on the approved list for your bank.
How up to date is your database of Darley Abbey solicitors on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel? Do Virgin Money send you an updated list?
Darley Abbey conveyancing firms themselves provide us confirmation that they are on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel as opposed to being supplied with a list from Virgin Money directly.
We're in Darley Abbey, FTBs purchasing with a mortgage (lender is HSBC , and our lawyer is on the HSBC conveyancing panel). How long should the conveyancing process take?
The fact that your lawyer is on the HSBC conveyancing panel is a help. It would almost certainly delay matters if they were not. However, no solicitor should guarantee a timeframe for your conveyancing, due to third parties outside of your control such as delays caused by lenders,conveyancing search providers or by the other side’s solicitors. The time taken is often determined by the number of parties in a chain.
When it comes to mortgage companies such as TSB, do Darley Abbey solicitors have to pay an annual charge to be on the list of approved solicitors?
We are unaware of any bank fees to register on their panel, although some do charge an administration charge to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel submission.
I'm in the throws of looking at apartments in Darley Abbey and I am about to put in an offer. Is it too early to have a solicitor in place? I intend to finance via a mortgage with UBS.
It would be sensible to start your search sooner rather than later. Once you decide who you want to use and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and forward their contact information on to the selling agent. Given that you are taking out a mortgage with UBS, ask your prospective lawyers if they are on the UBS conveyancing panel otherwise they can't do the mortgage legal work.
I recently had an offer agreed on a house in Darley Abbey. My financial adviser suggested a conveyancer. I paid an upfront payment of £150. A couple of days later, the solicitor called me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the Santander 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 Santander 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.
The deeds to our property can not be found. The lawyers who conducted the conveyancing in Darley Abbey 5 years ago are no longer around. What are my options?
Nowadays there are copies made of almost everything, and your conveyancer should be aware precisely where to find all the relevant documentation so you may purchase or dispose of your property without any difficulty. Where duplicates are not available, your solicitor may be able to put in place insurance or indemnities protecting you against possible claims on your premises.
Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold issue on a house I put an offer in two weeks back in what was supposed to be a quick, no chain conveyancing. Darley Abbey is the location of the property. Can you offer any advice?
Flying freeholds in Darley Abbey are unusual but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even though you don't necessarily need a conveyancing solicitor in Darley Abbey you would need to get your solicitor to go through the deeds thoroughly. Your mortgage company may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Darley Abbey may ascertain 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 residence.