I plan on buying a maisonette in Eltham. My property lawyer is not on the bank solicitor panel. Can I still use my Eltham conveyancing solicitor notwithstanding that they are excluded from the bank panel?
You will need to instruct a conveyancing practitioner to deal with the formalities if you take out a loan to buy your home. The conveyancer will conduct all the relevant due diligence on the property, make sure that you will be registered as proprietor and ensure that all the required mortgage documentation is in place. You can select a Eltham solicitor of your choice. Nevertheless, where the property lawyer selected is not on the lender conveyancing panel further costs will be incurred as separate legal representation will be required by them. Conveyancing panel applications may be submitted, so provided your conveyancer has not historically applied for membership they can do so.
My husband and I wish to acquire a newly converted flat in Eltham with a residential mortgage from Barclays Direct.We use our Eltham conveyancing practitioner but Barclays Direct says her practice is not on their approved list of member firms. It seems we are left with no choice but to instruct a Barclays Direct panel solicitor or retain our preferred solicitor and pay for a Barclays Direct panel lawyer to act for them. We feel as though this is unjust; is there anything we can do?
No, not really. The mortgage issued to you is subject to its various provisions, a common one being that solicitors needs to be on the Barclays Direct solicitor panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of solicitors 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 lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel for Barclays Direct
I'm purchasing my first flat in Eltham with the aid of help to buy. The builders would not budge the price so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of extras instead. The house builders rep advised me not to tell my lawyer about this extras as it may impact my mortgage with Chelsea Building Society. Is this normal?.
All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the developer 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.
Taking into account that I will soon spend over three hundred thousand on a two bedroom apartment in Eltham I wish to have a conversation with the conveyancer regarding thehouse move before appointing the firm. Is this something that you can arrange?
Absolutely - it is our preference to talk to you we do not take any clients on without you first talking to the solicitor who will be doing your conveyancing in Eltham.There is no ‘factory style conveyancing’ - every client is unique person, not a file reference. The law firms that we put you in touch with believe that the figure you are provided with for residential conveyancing in Eltham should be the figure that you are charged.
Am I better off to appoint a Eltham conveyancing practitioner in close proximity to the house I am purchasing? An old friend can perform the conveyancing but his firm is located approximately 350miles away.
The benefit of a local Eltham conveyancing practice is that you can visit the firm to sign documents, present your identification documents and apply pressure on them where appropriate. They will also have local knowledge which is a bonus. However it's more important to get someone that will do a good and efficient job. If you know people who used your friend and in the main were content that should surpass using an unknown Eltham conveyancing solicitor solely due to them being local.
We are soon to buying a home in Eltham. Can the lawyer have our purchase price private from sites such as Zoopla. Is this possible and how?
HMLR are legally required to disclose price paid information on a register of the title for residential properties nationwide including premises in Eltham. The register of title is a public document, so HM Land Registry would be breaching their statutory obligations if they did not allow access to the register.
You can make a request of the Land Registry to withhold the amount paid entry but the response would be a No.