My husband and I are buying a 1 bedroom flat in Gloucestershire with a mortgage. We wish to retain our Gloucestershire conveyancer, but the lender advise she’s not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the lender panel solicitors or retain our Gloucestershire lawyer and pay for one of their panel lawyers to act for them. We feel that this is inequitable; are we not able to insist that the mortgage company use our Gloucestershire conveyancer ?
Unfortunately,no. Your mortgage offer is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the lender’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 Gloucestershire conveyancing lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.
Having sold my house in Gloucestershire last July but my buyer keeps whats apping me to moan that their lawyer needs to hear from mine. What are the post completion sale formalities following completion?
Following your sale your solicitor should send the transfer documentation and all additional paperwork to the purchaser's lawyers. Depending on the transaction, your solicitor should also confirm that the mortgage has been repaid to the purchasers solicitors. There is unlikely to be post completion steps unique to conveyancing in Gloucestershire.
I used Arc property Solicitors a few years ago for my conveyancing in Gloucestershire. Now, I need my documents but the law firm is no longer operating. What do I do?
Do call the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to help locate 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 Gloucestershire of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously instructed, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.
Should I be suspicious about third parties that I am dealing with are suggesting a national conveyancing firm rather than a High Street Gloucestershire conveyancing firm?
As is the case with many service providers, often input from family and friends can be extremely useful or valuable. Yet there are numerous players in a conveyancing matter; estate agents, financial adviser and banks might all suggest solicitors to select. On occasion these solicitors might be known to one of the organisations as experts in their field, but occasionally there might be a financial incentive behind the recommendation. You have the discretion to choose your own conveyancer. However, bear in mind that some banks operate an approved list of lawyers you must use for the lender aspect of your transaction.
Am I better off to appoint a Gloucestershire conveyancing solicitor based in the location that I am hoping to buy? An old friend can conduct the legal formalities however his firm is located 400kilometers away.
The benefit of a high street Gloucestershire conveyancing firm is that you can pop in to execute paperwork, hand in your identification documents and apply pressure on them where appropriate. Having local Gloucestershire know how is a bonus. However nothing is more important than finding someone that will pull out all the stops for you. If if people you trust instructed your friend and in the main were impressed that should outweigh using an unknown Gloucestershire conveyancing lawyer just because they are Gloucestershire based.
Last February I purchased a leasehold property in Gloucestershire. Am I liable to pay service charges relating to a period prior to completion of my purchase?
In a situation where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous owner and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. Strange as it may seem, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. It is an essential part of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to be sure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.
If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).
Gloucestershire Leasehold Conveyancing - A selection of Questions you should ask Prior to Purchasing
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The answer will be important as a) areas could result in problems for the building as the common areas may begin to deteriorate if maintenance remain unpaid b) if the tenants have a dispute with the managing agents you will want to have full disclosure Who manages the building? Is the freehold owned jointly by the leaseholders?