My husband and I are purchasing a 1 bedroom apartment in Leconfield with a mortgage. We have a Leconfield lawyer, but the bank says she’s not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the mortgage company panel firms or keep our Leconfield conveyancing practitioner and pay for one of their panel lawyers to act for them. This seems very unfair; can we not demand that the bank use our Leconfield property lawyer ?
Unfortunately,no. Your mortgage offer is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the lender’s conveyancing panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. A further alternative is for your Leconfield conveyancing lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.
We note that you have a post code search directory identifying firms on the RBS conveyancing panel. Do firms pay you a commission if I instruct them for our own conveyancing in Leconfield?
We are a listing service only for law firms wishing to communicate if they are on the RBS conveyancing panel or other lender panels. We do not charge referral fees to any conveyancer that you subsequently appoint for your conveyancing in Leconfield.
This question may be naive but I am new to the home buying as a first time purchaser of a two bedroom flat in Leconfield. Do I collect the keys to the house on the completion date from my lawyer? If this is the case, I will find a local conveyancing solicitor in Leconfield?
On the day of completion you will not be required to attend the conveyancers office in Leconfield. Conveyancing lawyers for you will arrange to send the completion advance to the vendor’s lawyers, and once they have received this, you will be called to receive the keys from the property Agents and start moving into the property. Usually this happens between 1 and 3pm.
We previously chose conveyancing lawyers locally in Leconfield on the UBS solicitor approved list. They have just billed me a separate fee for handling the UBS mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee set by UBS?
Provided it is contained in their Terms and Conditions or estimate then yes your solicitor is entitled to charge a fee for this. This fee is not set by UBS but by your Leconfield lawyer. Plenty of firms on the UBS panel will quote an ‘acting for lender’ fee and others do not.
I have decided to exercise my right to buy my property in Leconfield off the council. I have a mortgage agreed with Bank of Ireland. Conveyancing is not something I have any knowledge of. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should have one. Any advice?
It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with Bank of Ireland, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel.
The deeds to our property can not be found. The lawyers who conducted the conveyancing in Leconfield 5 years ago no longer exist. Will I be able to sell the house?
You no longer need to have the physical official documentation to evidence that you are the owner of your registered land or premises, given that the Land Registry hold details of all registered land or property electronically.
In surfing the world wide web for the term conveyancing in Leconfield it reveals numerous solicitorsin the area. How do I determine which is the suitable property lawyer for the sale of my house?
The preferential way of seeking the right conveyancer is via personal referral, so ask friends and relatives who have bought a property in Leconfield or a respected estate agent or mortgage broker. Costs for conveyancing in Leconfield vary, so it's advisable to obtain a minimum of four fee calculations from varying types of solicitors. Be sure to seek confirmation that the fees are fixed.
Why can't I complete our conveyancing in Leconfield on May bank holiday?
Because on completion the sale price needs to be transferred electronically between the banks of the buyer and owner’s property lawyer and at present this can only occur on a business day. It is not possible to complete on a weekend either.