I am five weeks into the sale of my home in Hawkhurst and the EA has just called to warn that the purchasers are switching law firm. The reason given is that the mortgage company will only deal with solicitors on their conveyancing panel. Why would a big named mortgage company only work with certain solicitors rather the firm that they want to choose for their conveyancing in Hawkhurst ?
UK lenders have always had panels of law firms that can act for them, but in the last few years big names such as HSBC, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have acted for them for more than 15 years.
Banks point to the increase in fraud by way of justification for the reduction – criteria have been narrowed as a smaller panel is easier to maintain. Banks tend not to disclose how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society says it is being contacted daily by practices that have been removed from panels. Plenty of firms do not even realise they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyers' case. Your buyers are not going to have any impact on this.
We are purchasing our first house. The property lawyer has texted usto check if we wish to order additional conveyancing searches. We are really unsure what's needed for conveyancing in Hawkhurst
The quantity and type of Hawkhurst conveyancing searches depends entirely on the property, the location, the likelihood of any of these risks, your knowledge of the area and risks, your overall appetite to risk. What is important is that you properly comprehend what information the searches could give you. Then you can decide if you consider that you need that information. If unsure, ask your conveyancing practitioner to guide you.
Can I use your services to find a Conveyancing solicitor in Hawkhurst even if I’m not buying or selling a house, for instance if I wish to buy an office in Hawkhurst with a mortgage from Halifax?
Our comparison service is mainly used to locate residential conveyancing solicitors in Hawkhurst but we have listed at the bottom of this page a few Hawkhurst commercial conveyancing firms. You will need to speak with the firm directly to check if they can also act for Halifax
We're in Hawkhurst, First timers buying with a mortgage (lender is Kent Reliance , and our lawyer is on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel). How long should the conveyancing process take?
The fact that your lawyer is on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel is a help. It would almost certainly delay matters if they were not. However, no solicitor 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.
My husband and I are FTB’s - agreed a price, but the estate agent has warned us that the seller will only issue a contract if we use their recommended conveyancers as they are insisting on a ‘quick sale’. We would rather use a family conveyancer with experience of conveyancing in Hawkhurst
We suspect that the seller is not behind this requirement. Should the seller want ‘a quick sale', turning down a genuine purchaser is counter productive. Contact the sellers directly and make the point that (a)you are motivated buyers (b)you are excited to move forward, with mortgage lined up © you are unencumbered (d) you intend to proceed fast (e)however you will continue to instruct your own,trusted Hawkhurst conveyancing solicitors - as opposed tothose that will provide their negotiator at the agency a referral fee or achieve conveyancing figures pre-set by HQ.
I am an executor of my recently deceased mother’s Will, with a property in Hawkhurst which is to be sold. The house has never been registered at HMLR and I'm told that many buyers solicitors will insist that it is in place before they will move forward. What's the procedure for this?
In the situation that you have set out it seems sensible to seek to register in the names of the personal representative(s) as named in the probate and in their capacity as PRs. The Land Registry’s online guidance explains how to register for the first time and what is required re the deeds and forms. You would need to include and official copy of the probate as well and complete the form FR1 to refer to the PRs as the applicant.