Me and my partner are buying a 2 bedroom flat in Haringey with a mortgage. We wish to retain our Haringey lawyer, however the bank advise he's not on their "panel". It appears that we have no choice but to use one of the bank panel firms or retain our Haringey solicitor and pay for one of their panel ones to represent them. This feels very unfair; is there anything we can do?
No, not really. Your mortgage offer 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 Haringey conveyancing lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.
I am purchasing a end of terrace house in Haringey. We would like to an extension at the rear at the property.Will the conveyancing process involve investigations to determine if these works are allowed?
Your conveyancer will review the registered title as conveyancing in Haringey will on occasion identify restrictions in the title documents which prohibit certain changes or require the permission of another owner. Many works need local authority planning permissions and approval under the building regulations. Certain locations are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which frequently prevent or affect extensions. It would be sensible to check these issues with a surveyor ahead of any purchase.
Completion of my purchase has taken place for my property in Haringey. Conveyancing was a necessary evil but I would like to complain about the lender. How do I make a complaint?
Most banks and building societies have complaints procedures. Your first point of contact should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Care Department at head office. We understand that complaints to a lender are resolved very quickly. If you feel the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service, South Quay Plaza, 183 Marsh Wall, London E14 9SR who will take matters further.
I am selling my flat. I had a double glazing fitted in June 2006, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My buyer's mortgage company, Clydesdale are being difficult. The Haringey solicitor who is on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel is happy to accept ‘lack of building regulation’ insurance but Clydesdale are insisting on a building regulation certificate. Why do Clydesdale have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?
It is probably the case that Clydesdale have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Clydesdale may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing was correctly and safely installed. The indemnity insurance merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.
Should my lawyer be raising questions regarding flooding as part of the conveyancing in Haringey.
The risk of flooding is if increasing concern for conveyancers carrying out conveyancing in Haringey. Some people will buy a property in Haringey, completely expectant that at some time, it may suffer from flooding. However, leaving to one side the physical destruction, where a house is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to get a mortgage, adequate building insurance, or dispose of the property. Steps can be carried out as part of the conveyancing process to forewarn the buyer.
Lawyers are not qualified to impart advice on flood risk, but there are a number of searches that may be undertaken by the purchaser or on a buyer’s behalf which will give them a better appreciation of the risks in Haringey. The conventional set of information sent to a purchaser’s lawyer (where the solicitors are adopting what is known as the Conveyancing Protocol) includes a usual inquiry of the vendor to find out if the premises has historically flooded. In the event that the property has been flooded in past and is not revealed by the seller, then a buyer could bring a compensation claim as a result of such an inaccurate response. The purchaser’s conveyancers will also order an enviro report. This should reveal if there is any known flood risk. If so, more detailed inquiries should be made.
It has been 4 months following my purchase conveyancing in Haringey completed. I have checked the Land Registry site which shows that I paid £150,000 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 residence 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.
I am buying a new build house in Haringey with a loan from Barnsley Building Society. The developers would not move on the amount so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of fixtures and fittings instead. The estate agent advised me not reveal to my lawyer about the extras as it could impact my loan with Barnsley Building Society. Is this normal?.
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.
Do I need to be concerned by brokers that I am dealing with are encouraging me to use an online conveyancing firm as opposed to a High Street Haringey conveyancing company?
As is the case with lots of service providers, often recommendations from relatives can be extremely useful or valuable. Nevertheless there are many people with a keen interest in a conveyancing matter; estate agents, financial adviser and banks may recommend lawyers to use. On occasion these conveyancers might be known to one of the organisations as being good in their field, but occasionally there might be a financial incentive behind the recommendation. You are free to appoint your preferred lawyer. However, bear in mind that the majority of banks specify a panel list of lawyers you must use for the mortgage related work in your home move.