Me and my wife are acquiring a maisonette in Erith. My Solicitor is not listed on the lender solicitor panel. Can I still use my Erith conveyancing solicitor notwithstanding that they are not on the lender list of approved lawyers?
You will need to use a solicitor to complete the legal work required when you take out a loan to buy your home. The lawyer will carry out all the essential due diligence on the property, make sure that you’re registered as proprietor and ensure that all the required mortgage paperwork is in place. One can instruct a Erith solicitor of your choice. However, if the solicitor appointed is not a member of the bank approved list additional charges will be levied as separate legal representation will be need by the bank. Bank panel applications may be submitted, so provided your conveyancer has not in the past applied for membership they should do so.
It is a dozen years since I bought my home in Erith. Conveyancing lawyers have just been instructed on the sale but I can't locate the deeds. Is this a problem?
Don’t worry too much. First there is a chance that the deeds will be with your mortgage company or they could be in the possession of the solicitor who oversaw the purchase. Secondly in all probability the property will be recorded at the land registry and you will be able to prove you are the registered owner by your conveyancing lawyers procuring up to date copy of the land registers. The vast majority of conveyancing in Erith involves registered property but in the unlikely event that your property is not registered it is more tricky but is resolvable.
I am assisting my sister sell her flat in Erith. Does the conveyancer order an energy performance certificate or it is for the owner to coordinate?
After the abolition of HIPs, EPC’s was left as a mandatory component of moving property. An EPC must be commissioned before the property is marketed. It is not a task that law firms ordinarily arrange. Where you are instructing a Erith conveyancing practitioner they may help arrange energy performance certificates given their relationships with long established local providers
Are all Erith Conveyancing Quality Solicitors on the Kent Reliance conveyancing list of approved firms?
A selection of banks and building societies now utilise the accreditation scheme as the kick off point for Panel approval such as HSBC and Santander. CQS membership however is no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. That being said,the CML have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for solicitor practices wishing to join their panels.
At last I have had an offer on a flat in Erith agreed to, but there is a chain. The sellers have placed an offer on on an apartment, however it’s not been accepted yet, and have viewings of other flats in the pipeline. I have instructed a local conveyancing solicitor in Erith. What should be my next step? At what point should I apply for the mortgage with UBS?
It is usual to have anxieties where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to incur costs prematurely (mortgage application is approx £1k, then survey, Erith conveyancing search charges, etc). First, you must ensure that your conveyancer is on the UBS approved list. As to the next stages this very much dictated by the uniqueness of your transaction, motivation for the property and on the state of the market. During a hot market the majority of buyers will apply for the mortgage with UBS and arrange for the valuation and only if it comes back ok would they request their property lawyer to move forward with the conveyancing in Erith.
Me and my brother own a semi-detached Victorian house in Erith. Conveyancing solicitor acted for me and Barclays . I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and I saw two entries: one for freehold, another for leasehold under the matching address. If a house is not a freehold shouldn't I have been informed?
You need to review the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Erith and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they mortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with lenders. You can also check the position with your conveyancing solicitor who conducted the conveyancing.
How does conveyancing in Erith differ for new build properties?
Most buyers of new build property in Erith contact us having been asked by the developer to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the property is ready to move into. This is because house builders in Erith usually buy the real estate, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct conveyancing solicitors as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are accustomed to new build conveyancing in Erith or who has acted in the same development.
I need to instruct a conveyancing practitioner in Erith for my home move. Is it possible to review a firm’s record with the profession’s regulator?
One can find documented Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) decisions resulting from investigations commenced on or after Jan 2008. Visit Check a solicitor's record. For details Pre 2008, or to check a solicitors record, ring 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and 09.30 - 18.00 Tuesday. For non-uk callers, use +44 (0)121 329 6800. The SRA sometimes recorded call for training purposes.