Me and my fiance are hoping to purchase a 1 bedroom flat in East Sussex with a mortgage. We like our East Sussex solicitor, however the bank says she’s not on their "panel". It appears that we have little choice but to instruct one of the mortgage company panel conveyancing practices or continue with our East Sussex property lawyer as well as pay for one of their panel firms to represent them. We regard this is unjust; is there anything we can do?
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. A further alternative is for your East Sussex conveyancing lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.
Can I use your services to recommend a Conveyancing solicitor in East Sussex even where I’m not purchasing or selling a house, for example where I intend to acquire an office in East Sussex with a loan from The Mortgage Works?
Our search tool is mainly there to help choose domestic conveyancing solicitors in East Sussex but we have listed at the bottom of this page some East Sussex commercial conveyancing firms. You should enquire with the solicitors directly to check if they can also act for The Mortgage Works
My house in East Sussex is up for sale and I have accepted an offer. Will my lawyer have to be on the Principality conveyancing panel in order to deal with the discharge of my mortgage?
Ordinarily, even if your lawyer is not on the Principality conveyancing panel they can still act for you on your sale. It might be that the lender will not release the original deeds (if applicable and increasingly irrelevant) until after the mortgage is paid off. You should speak to your lawyer directly before you start the process though to ensure that there is no problem as lenders are changing their specifications fairly frequently in recent years.
Is it the case that all East Sussex CQS (Conveyancing Quality Scheme) solicitors are on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing list of approved solicitors?
A selection of banks and building societies now use the accreditation scheme as the starting point for Panel membership such as HSBC and Santander. The Law Society’s CQS accreditation however is no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. Nevertheless,the Council of Mortgage Lenders have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for firms wishing to join their approved list of firms.
Two weeks ago we had a mortgage agreed in principle with Clydesdale. East Sussex conveyancing solicitors are selected. How long does it take for Clydesdale to forward the offer to the solicitor?
There is no definitive answer here. Have Clydesdale conducted the survey? Have you advised Clydesdale as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel? It is not unusual for a mortgage offer to take a month to come through.
I am purchasing a property in East Sussex. One unusual aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Nationwide have issued a mortgage offer so presumably this is not a concern to them. Why is my solicitor raising questions about the panel?
As your lender is Nationwide your lawyer must comply with the formal instructions set out in Section two of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Nationwide. The CML Handbook includes minimum specifications for solar panel roof-space leases, and lawyers are required to report to Nationwide where a lease does not satisfy these conditions. The specifications relate to the installation of panels on properties in England and Wales and is not limited to East Sussex.
What will a local search reveal regarding the property my wife and I buying in East Sussex?
East Sussex conveyancing often commences with the submitting local authority searches directly from your local Authority or via a personal search organisations for example Onsearch The local search plays an important part in many a East Sussex conveyancing purchase; that is if you wish to avoid any unpleasant surprises after you move into your property. The search will supply information on, amongst other things, details on planning applications relevant 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 subject sections.
Online reading suggests that East Sussex solicitors are more costly than licensed conveyancers in East Sussex when it comes to purchasing a house. So is it better if I use a conveyancer or a solicitor if I am buying for my home move in East Sussex.
When it comes to conveyancing in East Sussex the costs are unlikely to vary dramatically depending on whether the legal expert is a licenced conveyancer or solicitor.