My husband and I are hoping to buy a house in Gotham and are in fact using a Gotham conveyancing practice. Within the past 48 hours our property lawyer has sent a preliminary report and documents to look through in anticipation of exchanging contracts shortly. Halifax have this evening contacted us to advise us that there is now an issue as our Gotham solicitor is not on their conveyancing panel. Please explain?
If you are buying a property requiring a mortgage it is normal for the purchasers' lawyers to also represent the mortgage company. In order to act for a bank or building society a law firm has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the law firm to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the firm has to satisfy and indeed some lenders now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme. Your solicitor should contact your bank and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own solicitors to act. You don't have to instruct a firm on the bank's conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own Gotham solicitors, in which case it will likely add costs, and it will likely delay the transaction as you have another set of people involved.
Can I use your services to recommend a Conveyancing solicitor in Gotham even if I’m not purchasing or selling a house, for instance if I want to acquire an office in Gotham with a mortgage from Barnsley Building Society?
Our comparison service is predominantly used to find residential conveyancing solicitors in Gotham but we have set out at the bottom of this page some Gotham commercial conveyancing firms. You will need to enquire with the firm directly to establish if they are also authorised to represent Barnsley Building Society
After reading moneysavingexpert.com for an online lawyer in Gotham, many post that I must use a CQS accredited solicitor. What is CQS?
Gotham Conveyancing Quality Scheme practices have obtained certification under the Law Society's Scheme (CQS) The Law Society established CQS to promote high standards in the in the legal transfer of properties. CQS helps buyers and sellers to recognise solicitor firms that provide a quality residential conveyancing. Gotham is one of the many areas in England and Wales in which accredited firms have a presence. The conveyancing scheme obliges practices to undergo a strict assessment, compulsory training, self-certification, random audits and annual reviews in order to maintain CQS status. It is available to solicitors and not licensed conveyancers and has the support of the Building Societies Association.
Can I be sure that the Gotham conveyancing solicitor on the Principality panel is any good?
When it comes to conveyancing in Gotham obtaining recommendations is a good start. Before you go ahead, check if they offer a no sale no fee offer. Also, you often get what you pay for - a firm which quotes more, will often provide a better service than one which is cheap as chips. We would always recommend that you speak with the lawyer handling your transaction.
We are getting the release of further funds on our mortgage from HSBC as we intend to conduct alterations to our property in Gotham. Do we need to select a nearby Gotham solicitor on the HSBC conveyancing panel to deal with the paperwork?
HSBC don't usually instruct a member of their approved list of lawyers to handle the formalities. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the HSBC list.
My wife and I are at the point of looking at apartments in Gotham and I am about to put in an offer. Is it advisable to have my conveyancer on ‘stand by’? I intend to finance via a home loan with Barclays.
It would be advisable to instigate your search sooner rather than later. After you have chosen your lawyer and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and forward their contact information on to the EA. As you are seeking a mortgage with Barclays, ask your prospective lawyers if they are on the Barclays conveyancing panel otherwise they can't do the mortgage legal work.
3 months have gone by following my purchase conveyancing in Gotham concluded. I have checked the Land Registry site which shows that I paid £175,000 when infact I paid £180,000. Why the discrepancy?
The price paid figure is taken from the application to register the purchase. It is the figure included in the Transfer (the legal deed which transfers the asset from one person to the other) and referred to as the 'consideration' or purchase price. You can report an error in the price paid figure using the LR online form. In most cases errors result from typos so at first glance the figure. Do report it so they can double check and advise.
Over the last few months I have been searching for a flat up to £245,000 and found one close by in Gotham I like with a park and transport links in the vicinity, however it only has 51 years on the lease. There is not much else in Gotham for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error acquiring a lease with such few years left?
If you require a home loan the remaining unexpired lease term will be problematic. Discount the offer by the anticipated lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the existing proprietor has owned the premises for at least 2 years you may request that they commence the lease extension formalities and pass it to you. You can add 90 years to the current lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing lawyer concerning this.