Is the fact that my solicitor in Lakenheath is not on my mortgage company's solicitor panel that there is a problem with the quality of her work?
It would not be wise to jump to that conclusion. There are all sorts of perfectly plausible explanations. Just recently a 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 Lakenheath conveyancing firm and ask them why they are no longer on the approved list for your bank.
What is the first thing I need to know concerning purchase conveyancing in Lakenheath?
Not many law firms shout this from the rooftops but conveyancing in Lakenheath or throughout Suffolk is an adversarial experience. Put another way, when it comes to conveyancing there exists plenty of room for conflict between you and other parties involved in the transaction. For instance, the vendor, estate agent and on occasion a lender. Choosing a lawyer for your conveyancing in Lakenheath is a critical decision as your conveyancer is your adviser, and is the SOLE person in the legal process whose role it is to look after your legal interests and to keep you safe.
On occasion a third party with a vested interest may attempt to persuade you that it is in your interests to do things their way. For example, the estate agent may claim to be assisting by suggesting your conveyancer is wrong. Or your mortgage broker may advise you to do take action that is contrary to your conveyancers advice. You should always trust your lawyer above all other parties when it comes to the legal transfer of property.
My wife and I are selling our property in Lakenheath and according to the buyers it appears that there is a risk of it being built on contaminated land. A high street Lakenheath lawyer would know that there is no such problem. It does beg the question why the buyers are using a national conveyancing firm rather than a conveyancing solicitor in Lakenheath. We have lived in Lakenheath for 5 years we know of no issue. Do we get in touch with our local Authority to obtain clarification that the buyers are looking for.
It would appear that you have a conveyancing solicitor currently acting for you. What do they say? You need to 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 illness)
I own a semi-detached Victorian property in Lakenheath. Conveyancing practitioner represented me and Barclays . I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and there are a couple of entries: the first freehold, another for leasehold with the matching address. Is it worth asking Barclays to clarify?
You should assess the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register as there may be mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Lakenheath and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they mortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with lenders. You can also check the position with the conveyancing solicitor who carried out the work.
I'm purchasing my first flat in Lakenheath with the aid of help to buy. The developers would not reduce the price so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of extras instead. The sale representative told me not inform my conveyancer about the extras as it could impact my mortgage with the bank. Is this normal?.
All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the builder 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.
My step-father has suggested that I instruct his conveyancing solicitors in Lakenheath. Do I take his advice?
There are no two ways about it the ideal way to choose a conveyancing practitioner is to have referrals from friends or relatives who have actually previously instructed the solicitor that you are are thinking of instructing.