In what way does my ID and proof of funds have anything to do with my conveyancing in Greenhithe? Is this really necessary?
Greenhithe conveyancing solicitors and indeed property practitioners throughout the UK have a duty under Anti-terror and anti-money-laundering rules to verify the identity of any client in order to satisfy themselves that clients are who they say they are.
Conveyancing clients will need to disclose two forms of certified ID; proof of identity (typically a Passport or Driving Licence) and evidence of address (typically a Utility Bill less than 3 months old).
Proof of the origin of funds is also required under the money laundering regulations as conveyancers are duty bound to ensure that the monies you are using to acquire a property (whether it be the deposit for exchange or the total purchase monies if you are a cash purchaser) has originated from a reputable source (such as employment savings) as opposed to the fruits of criminal behaviour.
When it comes to mortgage companies such as Nottingham, do Greenhithe lawyers face an annual charge to be on the conveyancing panel?
We are not aware of any lender fees to register on their panel, although some do charge an administration fee to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel submission.
We expect to receive a AIP from Virgin Money this week so we know how much we could potentially offer as otherwise we only have online calculators to go by (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do Virgin Money recommend any Greenhithe solicitors on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel, or is it better to find our own lawyer?
You will need to appoint Greenhithe solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and Virgin Money through the process.
After months of negotiation I have agreed a price on an apartment in Greenhithe. My financial adviser pressured me to appoint their solicitor. I paid an upfront payment of £150. A couple of days later, the solicitor contacted me embarrassingly acknowledging that they were not on the Co-operative conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?
You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Co-operative panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.
The deeds to our property can not be found. The solicitors who handled the conveyancing in Greenhithe 5 years ago no longer exist. What do I do?
Assuming you have a registered title the information relating to your ownership will be documented by HMLR under a Title Number. It is possible to execute a search at the Land Registry, find your property and get up to date copies of the Registered Entries for a small fee. Where the title is Leasehold then the Land Registry will usually retain a file duplicate of the Registered Lease and again, a copy can be ordered for a small fee.
I am purchasing a new build house in Greenhithe with a mortgage from Nationwide Building Society. The developers would not move on the amount so I negotiated £7000 of fixtures and fittings instead. The property agent told me not to tell my solicitor about the deal as it will jeopardize my mortgage with the lender. Do I keep my lawyer in the dark?.
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.
I opted to have a survey completed on a house in Greenhithe in advance of appointing conveyancers. I have been informed that there is a flying freehold element to the property. Our surveyor has said that some banks may not give a mortgage on this type of premises.
It depends who your proposed lender is. Santander has different instructions for example to Birmingham Midshires. If you e-mail us we can check with the relevant lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Greenhithe. Conveyancing may be slightly more expensive based on your lender's requirements.
Your search tool is useful but there are many lawyers listed near Greenhithe being on the bank conveyancing panel. It would be a lot more helpful if you could recommend a specific firm on the conveyancing panel for our mortgage company?
We do not recommend specific Greenhithe firms as the right Greenhithe conveyancing solicitor for you depends on where your priorities lie. For example you may require a local firm with Greenhithe knowledge or you might be looking for the low cost conveyancing. We recommend that you speak to 3 or 4 lawyers listed before you make your choice..