I chose a local lawyer for our conveyancing in Hawarden today. Upon checking the Ts and Cs it is apparent thatwe are liable for fees even if the sale doesn't happen. Should I go with them or instruct a web based lawyer offering no move no charge conveyancing in Hawarden?
Generally there is a compromise along the lines that if "No Completion No Fee" is advertised then the fee levels will generally be uplifted to offset those conveyances that fail to complete. You should be mindful that such offerings generally do not cover expenditure for example Hawarden conveyancing search expenses.
My Solicitor in Hawarden has never been on on the The Royal Bank of Scotland Conveyancing Panel. Is it possible for me to retain my prefered solicitor even though they are excluded from the The Royal Bank of Scotland approved list?
The limited options available to you here include:
- Complete the purchase with your existing Hawarden solicitors but The Royal Bank of Scotland will need to retain a solicitor on their list of acceptable firms. This will inevitably rack up the total conveyancing fees and result in delays.
- Get an alternative lawyer to act in the purchase, obviously checking they are The Royal Bank of Scotland approved.
- Try to convince your The Royal Bank of Scotland based solicitor to try to join the The Royal Bank of Scotland panel
My wife and I purchasing a victorian detached house in Hawarden. Our aim is to an extension at the rear at the property.Will legal due diligence on the property involve enquiries to ascertain if these works are permitted?
Your property lawyer should check the deeds as conveyancing in Hawarden will occasionally reveal restrictions in the title documents which restrict categories of works or need the permission of another owner. Certain extensions require local authority planning consent and approval in compliance with building regulations. Some locations are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which frequently prevent or affect extensions. You should check these things with a surveyor prior to committing yourself to a purchase.
We had appointed solicitors with offices in Hawarden on the Barclays solicitor panel. They are now charging me a supplemental fee for the legal aspects of the Barclays mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee set by Barclays?
Provided it is contained in their Terms and Conditions or estimate then yes your solicitor can charge a fee for this. This charge is not dictated by Barclays but by your Hawarden property lawyer. Numerous firms on the Barclays panel will levy ’dealing with mortgage’ fee but many practices incorporate it on their overall fee.
I have paid off my mortgage with Barclays. I assume I don't need a Hawarden solicitor on the Barclays panel to remove the mortgage at the Land Registry. Please confirm.
If you have finished paying off your Barclays mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the Barclays mortgage from the register. Barclays, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:
- but are not moving to another property
- where Barclays has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
- Barclays has instructed the Land Registry to do so
We are close to exchanging contracts on the sale of our house in Hawarden and the buyers lawyers are claiming that there is a risk of it being constructed on contaminated land. Any local lawyer would know this is not the case. It does beg the question why the buyers instructed a nationwide conveyancing firm rather than a conveyancing solicitor in Hawarden. We have lived in Hawarden for many years we know of no issue. Is it a good idea to contact our local Authority to seek confirmation need.
It sounds as though you may have a conveyancing solicitor already. Are they able to advise? You must check with your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out health insurance to cover that same ailment)
I have been on the look out for a ground for flat up to £235,500 and found one close by in Hawarden I like with a park and transport links in the vicinity, however it only has 52 years unexpired on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Hawarden for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake buying a short lease?
Should you need a mortgage the remaining unexpired lease term will likely be a potential deal breaker. Discount the price by the expected lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing owner has owned the premises for at least twenty four months you may request that they commence the lease extension formalities and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor regarding this matter.
My 20yr old son is about to join the property ladder, the home loan was agreed last week in principle. When the offer was accepted on flat we rang the mortgage company to progress the mortgage application. I was shocked to hear that mortgage lenders do not accept all property lawyer, they need to be on their approved list, is this correct?
Banks ordinarily restrict either the type or the number of conveyancing practices on their approved list of lawyers. A common example of such restriction(s) being that a firm must have two or more partners. In addition to restricting the type of firm, some have decided to limit the number of firms they use to represent them. You should note that lenders have no responsibility for the quality of advice provided by any Hawarden property lawyer on their panel. Mortgage fraud was a key driver in the rationalisation of conveyancing panels a few years ago and whilst there are differing views about the extent of solicitor involvement in some of that fraud. Statistics from the Land Registry reveal that thousands of law firms only carry out one or two conveyances a year. Those supporting conveyancing panel cuts ask why law firms should have the right to be on a Lender panel when clearly, conveyancing is not their speciality. To put it another way; would you want a conveyancing solicitor to represent you if you were charged with a crime? Presumably not.