My lawyer in Derby is not listed on the Britannia Approved Panel. Can I still continue with my prefered solicitor even though they are excluded from the Britannia panel?
The limited options open to you here include:
- Complete the purchase with your existing Derby lawyers but Britannia will need to use a conveyancer on their list of acceptable firms. This will result in additional total conveyancing fees and cause delays.
- Get an alternative practitioner to act in the purchase, remembering to check they are on the Britannia panel
I am assisting my mother sell her house in Derby. Does the conveyancer commission an energy performance certificate or do I organise this?
Following the abolition of Home Information Packs, energy performance certificates was kept a required part of selling a property. An energy assessment needs to be commissioned in advance of the property being advertised. This is not something that lawyers normally organise. Where you are using a Derby conveyancing practitioner they may be able to arrange EPC’s given their relationships with reputable Derby energy assessors
Completion of my purchase has taken place for my property in Derby. Conveyancing was a necessary evil but I feel I should register my dissatisfaction about the lender. How does one go about formally complaining?
Almost all lenders have complaints procedures. Your first point of contact should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Services Team at head office. Ordinarily complaints to a lender are sorted out very quickly. However if you are not satisfied that the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service who will take matters further.
I recently had an offer agreed on an apartment in Derby. My mortgage broker suggested a lawyer. I paid an upfront payment of £175. A few days later, the solicitor called me embarrassingly acknowledging that they were not on the TSB 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 TSB 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 does a local search tell me about the house my wife and I purchasing in Derby?
Derby conveyancing often starts with the applying for local authority searches directly from your local Authority or through a personal search organisations such as PSG The local search plays an important part in most Derby conveyancing purchase; that is if you don’t want any nasty surprises after you move into your new home. The search will provide data on, amongst other things, details on planning applications applicable to the property (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 topic sections.
I am purchasing my first flat in Derby with a loan from Barclays . The developers would not reduce the price so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of fixtures and fittings instead. The property agent advised me not reveal to my solicitor about this deal as it could adversely affect my mortgage with the lender. Is this normal?.
All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the builder of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.
Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.
Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.
My brother has encouraged me to use his conveyancers in Derby. Should I find my own property lawyer?
There are no two ways about it the best way to select a conveyancing lawyer is to get feedback from friends or family who have experience in using the solicitor you're are thinking of instructing.
My father-in-law mentioned that when choosing a conveyancing firm they must be approved by your lender. I am new to the process but I have an AIP with Santander and I already have a local conveyancing solicitor in Derby at the ready. Does Santander need an approved lawyer to be instructed? If so, where can I find that list for my conveyancing in Derby?
You should use a solicitor that is on the Santander panel. Just ring your chosen Derby conveyancing lawyer and ask if they are on the Santander panel. If they are not on the panel you have a number of options available to you here:
- Proceed with your existing Derby solicitor but Santander will need to use a conveyancing practitioner on their approved list. The net impact is additional charges and likely frustration.
- Get a new conveyancing practitioner to conduct the conveyancing, ensuring that they are on the Santander conveyancing panel.
- Appeal to your lawyer to attempt to join the mortgage company panel.