My fiance and I are planning to acquire a home in Leatherhead and have instructed a Leatherhead conveyancing firm. Within the last couple of days our solicitor has sent a preliminary report and documents to look through with the expectation that exchange is imminent. Godiva Mortgages Ltd have this afternoon contacted us to inform me that they have now hit a problem as our Leatherhead lawyer is not on their approved list of lawyers. What do we do from here?
If you are buying a property requiring a mortgage it is usual for the purchasers' lawyers to also act for the purchaser's lender. In order to act for a bank or building society a law firm has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the law firm to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the firm has to satisfy and indeed some lenders now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme. Your solicitor should contact your mortgage company and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own solicitors to act. You are not legally obliged to appoint a law firm on the lender’s conveyancing panel as you are at liberty to use your preferred Leatherhead lawyers, in which case your legal fees may increase, and it may delay matters as you are adding another lawyer into the mix.
I have given 2 months notice to my existing landlord and have to be out of my let out property in Leatherhead by 18/12/2025. Conveyancing on my purchase is progressing. Is it possible to complete in a couple of weeks as I wish to avoid having to move into temporary accommodation?
It is unwise to provide notice on a rental unless your lawyer suggests that you should. Assuming that you have not previously done so, speak to your conveyancer and urge them to they cajole the other side, try to an acceptable time-line that all parties will work towards
When will exchange of contracts happen for purchase conveyancing in Leatherhead and am I required to be at the lawyers branch?
Where you are local to one of the conveyancing solicitors in Leatherhead you are invited in to sign the paperwork. However, the law practices we work with offer countrywide coverage for conveyancing and provide just as detailed and professional a job for you when dealing with you electronically. The executing of the contract is not the important part. Signing on the dotted line simply enables the conveyancer to exchange contracts at the suitable time, which will usually be very shortly after signing. The procedure is nowadays normally dealt with by telephone and can be very rapid, although where an extended "chain" is in the mix, since the process requires the relevant party's solicitor (not necessarily a conveyancing solicitor in Leatherhead)to be in the office available at the end of the phone to exchange contracts.
Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to my property are lost. The lawyers who did the conveyancing in Leatherhead 5 years ago no longer exist. What are my options?
As long as you have a registered title the details of your ownership will be retained by HMLR with a Title Number. It is easy to execute a search at the Land Registry, find your house and get current copies of the property title for a small fee. If the title is Leasehold then the Land Registry will also normally hold a file copy of the Registered Lease and again, a copy can be retrieved for £20 inclusive of VAT.
I'm buying my first flat in Leatherhead with a mortgage from National Westminster Bank. The sellers would not reduce the amount so I negotiated £7000 of extras instead. The sale representative suggested that I not to tell my lawyer about this side-deal as it would impact my mortgage with the lender. Do I keep my lawyer in the dark?.
All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the developer 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.
I decided to have a survey completed on a property in Leatherhead in advance of retaining conveyancers. I have been told that there is a flying freehold overhang to the property. My surveyor has said that some lenders will refuse to grant a mortgage on this type of home.
It varies from the lender to lender. Lloyds has different requirements for example to Nationwide. Should you wish to call us we can investigate further with the relevant mortgage company. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Leatherhead. Conveyancing will be smoother if you use a solicitor in Leatherhead especially if they are familiar with such properties in Leatherhead.