We are planning to acquire a 2 bedroom apartment in Guildford with a mortgage. We would like to retain our Guildford solicitor, however the mortgage company advise she’s not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the mortgage company panel solicitors or keep our Guildford property lawyer as well as pay for one of their panel firms to act for them. We regard this is inequitable; is there anything we can do?
Unfortunately,no. The mortgage offered to you is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the bank’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. Another option that might be available is for your Guildford conveyancing solicitor to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.
Would the conveyancing practitioners listed on your site carry out right to buy conveyancing in Guildford?
We have identified a number of conveyancing experts who can conduct right to buy conveyancing You should call us with a view to obtain a costs calculation.
Can I use your services to recommend a Conveyancing solicitor in Guildford even if I’m not buying or selling a house, for example if I intend to buy an office in Guildford with a mortgage from Yorkshire Building Society?
Our comparison service is mainly utilised to select domestic conveyancing solicitors in Guildford but we have set out towards the end of this page some Guildford commercial conveyancing firms. You will need to speak with the firm directly to check if they are also authorised to represent Yorkshire Building Society
We're in Guildford, FTBs buying with a mortgage (lender is Principality , and our solicitor is on the Principality conveyancing panel). How long should the conveyancing process take?
The fact that your lawyer is on the Principality conveyancing panel is a help. It would almost certainly delay matters if they were not. However, no conveyancing practitioner should guarantee a timeframe for your conveyancing, due to third parties outside of your control such as delays caused by lenders,conveyancing search providers or by the other side’s solicitors. The time taken is often determined by the number of parties in a chain.
Me and my partner are buying a apartment in Guildford. It might be a silly question but how we can trust a lawyer? At some point we have to send money into their account. What protection do we have from them run away with our money?
Be assured that all money in a Solicitors client account is 100% safe, and even if your Solicitor ran off with it, the Law Society would reimburse you fully.
I recently had an offer agreed on an apartment in Guildford. My financial adviser suggested a conveyancer. I paid an on account payment of £150. Soon after, the conveyancer contacted me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the Principality 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 Principality 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.
Barclays have agreed my home loan in principle, my bid on a house in Guildford has been accepted, what happens next?
Your estate agent will want to know who your solicitors are (ensure that the conveyancing practitioners are on the lender’s approved list). Telephone Barclays or your broker and finish off any appropriate documentation. Barclays will appoint a valuer who will get in touch with the selling agent or seller to schedule an appointment. Once conducted (assuming no problems) it takes approximately a fortnight to receive the mortgage offer. Barclays will send the offer to you and your property lawyers. The transaction will then take it’s course according the nature and complexity of the conveyancing in Guildford.
Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly picked up during conveyancing in Guildford?
Covenants that are restrictive in nature can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the process of conveyancing in Guildford. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’