I was advised yesterday by my mortgage broker that my Leek solicitor is not on the bank Solicitor panel. What can I do to check?
The first thing you need to do is to contact your Leek lawyer directly. You lawyer should advise you of the situation. If they are not on the panel they could put your in touch with solicitors on the approved list of lawyers for your mortgage company.
I am downsizing from our house in Leek and according to the buyers it appears that there is a risk of it being built on contaminated land. A local conveyancer would know this is not the case. It does beg the question why the buyers used an internet conveyancing practice as opposed to a conveyancing solicitor in Leek. We have lived in Leek for 4 years we know of no issue. Do we contact our local Authority to get confirmation need.
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 ailment)
How does conveyancing in Leek differ for newly converted properties?
Most buyers of new build premises in Leek contact us having been asked by the developer to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the property is completed. This is because new home sellers in Leek usually purchase the land, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct conveyancing solicitors as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are used to new build conveyancing in Leek or who has acted in the same development.
I am looking for a flat up to £195,000 and identified one near me in Leek I like with amenity areas and railway links nearby, however it only has 51 remaining years left on the lease. There is not much else in Leek for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake purchasing a lease with such few years left?
Should you require a home loan that many years will likely be an issue. Discount the price by the amount the lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current proprietor has owned the premises for at least 2 years you may request that they commence the lease extension formalities and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor about this matter.
I need to appoint a conveyancing solicitor for freehold conveyancing in Leek. I have stumble across a web site which looks to be the perfect offering If there is a chance to get all formalities completed via phone that would be preferable. Should I be concerned? What should out be looking out for?
As usual with these online conveyancers you need to read ALL the small print - did you notice the extra charge for dealing with the mortgage?
Myself and my partner have recently had an offer agreed on a flat and had meeting on Friday with HSBC for the mortgage. They warned me that when it comes to appointing a property lawyer that if they are not on their approved list of property lawyers then we will have to pay out a further charge of £200. This is because they will then have to instruct a solicitor to act for them in addition to the one we choose to act on our behalf and we will be on the hook for their fees. I have requested HSBC to send me with a list so I can obtain estimates only from their approved conveyancers but was told they dont have such a list to hand over. Is there a list online?
You should ask HSBC what their criteria for panel membership is for a solicitor.Thereafter ask the property lawyer of your choice whether they meet the criteria and have they acted on loans for HSBC before. Where the answer to those is yes, then just double check with HSBC. Alternatively please utilise our search facility and we should be able to identify a conveyancer in Leek on the approved list for HSBC.