I plan on acquiring a maisonette in Harpenden. My Solicitor is not on the mortgage company approved list. Is it possible for me to use my Harpenden conveyancing solicitor notwithstanding that they are excluded from the lender approved list?
Your options include
- Proceed with your chosen Harpenden conveyancing practitioner but your mortgage company will undoubtedly retain a solicitor from their approved panel. The net result is additional cost together with probable delay.
- Get a new property lawyer to conduct the conveyancing, making sure they are on the lender conveyancing panel.
- Convince your lawyer to pull out all the stops to get accepted on the mortgage company conveyancing panel
Are the Harpenden conveyancing solicitors identified as being on the Santander conveyancing panel, together with their details provided by Santander?
Harpenden conveyancing firms themselves provide us confirmation that they are on the Santander conveyancing panel as opposed to being supplied with a list from Santander directly.
Do I have to visit the offices of the solicitor to execute the legal charge? If so, I will instruct a firm who offer conveyancing in Harpenden so that I can attend their offices if necessary.
As opposed to ten years ago, most lenders no longer require their conveyancing panel lawyer to witness the mortgagors signature. You will still be obliged to provide ID documents and there are still distinct benefits to instructing a local solicitor, in your situation a conveyancing solicitor in Harpenden.
Will our conveyancer be asking questions concerning flooding as part of the conveyancing in Harpenden.
Flooding is a growing risk for lawyers dealing with homes in Harpenden. Plenty of people will acquire a property in Harpenden, fully aware that at some time, it may be flooded. However, aside from the physical destruction, where a property is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to obtain a mortgage, adequate building insurance, or dispose of the premises. Steps can be carried out as part of the conveyancing process to forewarn the buyer.
Conveyancers are not qualified to impart advice on flood risk, however there are a number of checks that can be initiated by the purchaser or on a buyer’s behalf which should give them a better understanding of the risks in Harpenden. The conventional set of completed inquiry forms supplied to a buyer’s conveyancer (where the solicitors are adopting what is known as the Conveyancing Protocol) incorporates a standard question of the vendor to determine whether the property has suffered from flooding. If the residence has been flooded in past and is not revealed by the owner, then a buyer could bring a compensation claim resulting from an inaccurate response. The purchaser’s lawyers may also conduct an enviro report. This should reveal if there is any known flood risk. If so, further inquiries will need to be made.
Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly picked up as part of conveyancing in Harpenden?
Covenants that are restrictive in nature can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the legal transfer of property in Harpenden. 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…’
How does conveyancing in Harpenden differ for newly converted properties?
Most buyers of new build premises in Harpenden come to 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 Harpenden tend to acquire the land, 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 conveyancers 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 Harpenden or who has acted in the same development.