Me and my partner are buying a 2 bedroom apartment in Dawlish with a mortgage. We would like to retain our Dawlish solicitor, however the lender says he's not on their "panel". It seems we have no choice but to use one of the mortgage company panel solicitors or continue with our Dawlish lawyer as well as pay for one of their panel ones to represent them. This feels very unfair; can we not demand that the mortgage company use our Dawlish property lawyer ?
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. Another option that might be available is for your Dawlish conveyancing solicitor to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.
I am acquiring a new build duplex in Dawlish and my lawyer is telling me that she is duty bound to the mortgage company to disclose incentives from the builder. The Estate Agents are hassling me to exchange and I don't want to delay matters. Is my lawyer right?
You should not exchange unless you have been advised to do so by your conveyancer. A precondition to being on a lender panel is to comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook provisions. The CML Conveyancing Handbook requires that your lawyer have the appropriate Disclosure of Incentive form completed by the developer and accepted by your lender.
Is it necessary during the course of the conveyancing process to visit the offices of the solicitor to execute the legal charge? If so, I will appoint a lawyer who conducts conveyancing in Dawlish so that I can attend their offices if required.
Whereas this was necessary 12 years ago, almost all lenders no longer oblige their conveyancing panel lawyer to witness the mortgagors signature. It will still be necessary for you to provide identification documents and there are still manifest advantages to choosing a locally based solicitor, in your case a conveyancing solicitor in Dawlish.
I used Action Conveyancing a few years ago for my conveyancing in Dawlish. Now, I need the documents but the law firm has closed. What do I do?
You should call the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to assist in tracking down your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Dawlish of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously retained, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.
I am looking for a flat up to £305k and identified one round the corner in Dawlish I like with open areas and transport links in the vicinity, the downside is that it's only got 49 years unexpired on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Dawlish in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error purchasing a short lease?
If you require a mortgage the remaining unexpired lease term will likely be a potential deal breaker. Discount the price by the anticipated lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing proprietor has owned the premises for a minimum of twenty four months you can request that they commence the lease extension formalities and pass it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease term and have £0 ground rent by law. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer concerning this.
I see that you have a search directory listing firms on the mortgage company conveyancing panel. Do Dawlish conveyancing companies pay you a commission 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 mortgage company conveyancing panel or other lender panels. We do not charge referral fees to the any conveyancer that you subsequently appoint for your conveyancing in Dawlish.