Am I correct in assuming that the fact that my solicitor in Kelsall is not listed on my bank's solicitor panel that there is a problem with the standard of the firm’s work?
That would more than likely be an incorrect assumption to make. There are plenty of reasonable explanations. A recent report by the solicitors regulator indicated that over three quarters of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The most common reasons for removal are: (1) low volume of transactions (2) the solicitor is a sole practitioner (3) as part of the HSBC panel reduction (4) regulatory contact by SRA (5) accidental removal. Should you be concerned you should contact the Kelsall conveyancing practice and enquire why they are no longer on the approved list for your bank.
Can you clarify what the consequences are if my solicitor is suspended from the Lloyds Solicitor panel ahead of completing my conveyancing in Kelsall?
The first thing to point out is that, this is a very rare occurrence. In most cases even where a law firm is removed off of a panel the lender would allow the completion to go ahead as the lender would appreciate the difficulties that they would place you in if you have to instruct a new solicitor days before completion. In a worst case scenario where the lender insists that you instruct a new firm then it is possible for a very good lawyer to expedite the conveyancing albeit that you may pay a significant premium for this. The analogous situation is where a buyer instructs a lawyer, exchanges contracts and the law firm is shut down by a regulator such as the SRA. Again, in this situation you can find lawyers who can troubleshoot their way to bring the conveyancing to a satisfactory conclusion - albeit at a cost.
The deeds to our house can not be found. The solicitors who handled the conveyancing in Kelsall 5 years ago have long since closed. What are my options?
Gone are the days when you need to have the physical deeds to establish that you are the owner of your registered land or property, given that the Land Registry hold details of all registered land or property electronically.
I decided to have a survey carried out on a house in Kelsall before retaining solicitors. I have been informed that there is a flying freehold element to the property. Our surveyor has said that some lenders tend not issue a mortgage on this type of house.
It varies from the lender to lender. Santander has different requirements for example to Halifax. If you call us we can look into this further via the appropriate mortgage company. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Kelsall. Conveyancing may be slightly more expensive based on your lender's requirements.
I'm remortgaging my existing property to a buy to let loan with Platform Home Loans Ltd and I will use the ballance of the raised equity as a deposit on another house. The area we are talking about is Kelsall. Will your lawyers be able to act for the two mortgage companies and tie in the transactions?
Do use our comparison tool on this site to ensure that the solicitors are on the appropriate lender panels. Assuming that they are your lawyer will be able to simultaneously deal with the two deals but you should have a chat with you solicitor and communicate your expectations and requirements.
Two months into a sale of a flat in Kelsall. Conveyancing lawyers are doing their job but we have been asked to pay an extortionate amount from the freeholder. To date we have issued a cheque for £268 for a leasehold management information and then a further £200 plus VAT for answers to questions raised by the purchaser's property lawyer.
Neither you or your lawyer will have any sway over the level of the bill for this information however the average costs for the information for Kelsall leasehold property is £380. When it comes to Kelsall conveyancing transactions it is standard for the owner to pay for these charges. The freeholder or their agents are not duty bound to address these questions although many will agree to do so - albeit often at high prices out of proportion to the work involved. Regretfully there is no law that mandates capped fees for administrative tasks. There is no set time frame by which they are duty bound to issue answers.