Am I correct in assuming that the fact that my solicitor in Halstead is not listed on my mortgage company's conveyancing panel that there is a problem with the standard of her work?
It would be unwise to jump to that conclusion. There are all sorts of perfectly reasonable explanations. Just recently a report by the solicitors regulator revealed that over three quarters of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The top 5 reasons are as follows: (1) low volume of transactions (2) the lawyer is a sole practitioner (3) as part of the HSBC panel reduction (4) regulatory contact by SRA (5) accidental removal. If you are concerned you should contact the Halstead conveyancing practice and enquire why they are no longer on the approved list for your bank.
We are planning to acquire a property and need a conveyancing solicitor in Halstead who is on the Bank of Ireland solicitor panel. Can you recommend a local solicitor?
Our service is limited to being a directory service for firms who wish to be listed as being on the approved conveyancing panel for Bank of Ireland . We don't recommend any particular firms conducting conveyancing in Halstead.
My Solicitor in Halstead is not listed on the Bank of Scotland Solicitor Panel. Is it possible for me to use my prefered solicitor notwithstanding that they are excluded from the Bank of Scotland panel of approved conveyancing solicitors?
Your options are as follows:
- Carry on with your existing Halstead solicitors but Bank of Scotland will need to use a conveyancer on their panel. This will result in additional overall legal fees and cause delays.
- Get a new solicitor to to deal with the conveyancing, remembering to check they are on the Bank of Scotland panel
How does conveyancing in Halstead differ for newly converted properties?
Most buyers of new build or newly converted property in Halstead contact us having been asked by the housebuilder to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the house is ready to move into. This is because house builders in Halstead tend to acquire 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 property lawyers 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 Halstead or who has acted in the same development.
Over the last few months I have been searching for a flat up to £245,000 and identified one round the corner in Halstead I like with a park and railway links nearby, the downside is that it only has 49 remaining years left on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Halstead suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error acquiring a short lease?
If you need a home loan the remaining unexpired lease term may be an issue. Discount the price by the expected lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the current owner has owned the premises for a minimum of 2 years you could request that they start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the existing lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer regarding this matter.
What tools are available to search for a Halstead conveyancing solicitor on the bank conveyancing panel? I have a car and am prepared to travel up to twentymiles to attend the solicitor.
You can use the find a conveyancing panel tool on this website. Please choose the lender and your location, in this case Halstead and you will see a number of lawyer located nearest Halstead. Alternatively you can type in the name of your proposed law firm and see if they are listed as being on the lender solicitor panel.