I am selling my house in Little Haven and the estate agent has just called to say that the purchasers are swapping law firm. The reason given is that the lender will only engage with solicitors on their conveyancing panel. Why would a leading mortgage company only work with certain lawyers rather the firm that they want to choose to handle their conveyancing in Little Haven ?
Mortgage companies have always had panels of law firms that can act for them, but in the past few years big names such as Santander, have considered and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have represented them for many years.
Lending institutions point to the increase in fraud as the reason for the pruning – criteria have been narrowed as a smaller panel is easier to keep an eye on. Banks tend not to reveal how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society says it is hearing daily from firms that have been removed from panels. Plenty of firms do not even realise they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyers' case. The buyers are unlikely to have any sway in the decision.
What does my ID and proof of funds have anything to do with my conveyancing in Little Haven? What am I being asked for?
You are right in the requirement set out by your lawyer has nothing to do with conveyancing in Little Haven. Nowadays you will not be able to proceed with any conveyancing transaction if you have not providing evidence of your identity. This usually takes the form of a either your passport or driving licence plus a bank statement. Remember if you are supplying your driving licence as evidence of identification it must be both the paper section and photo card part, one is not satisfactory without the other.
Verification of the origin of money is mandated under Money Laundering Regulations. Don’t be offended when you are asked to produce this as your conveyancing solicitor will need to have this information on file. Your Little Haven conveyancing lawyer will need to see evidence of proof of funds before they are able to accept any funds from you into their client account and they will also ask additional questions regarding the origin of funds.
A friend informed me that in buying a property in Little Haven there could be various restrictions prohibiting external alterations to the property. Is this right?
There are a number of properties in Little Haven which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to carry out external variations. Part of the conveyancing in Little Haven should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.
I am buying a end of terrace house in Little Haven. We would like to carry out a loft conversion at the property.Will legal conveyancing on the property involve checks to ascertain if these works are permitted?
Your solicitor should check the registered title as conveyancing in Little Haven will sometimes reveal restrictions in the title documents which restrict categories of works or necessitated the permission of another owner. Some additions need local authority planning consent and approval in accordance building regulations. Some locations are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which often prevent or impact extensions. You should check these things with a surveyor ahead of any purchase.
My sealed bid on a detached house in Little Haven has been agreed to, but there is a chain. The vendors have offered on a property, but it’s not yet agreed to, and have viewings of other apartments in the pipeline. I have selected a bricks and mortar conveyancing solicitor in Little Haven. What do I do now? At what stage should I apply for the mortgage with Kent Reliance?
It is usual to have anxieties where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to incur costs too early (mortgage application is in the region of one thousand pounds, then valuation, Little Haven conveyancing search fees, etc). The first thing to do is ensure that your conveyancing practitioner is on the Kent Reliance approved list. Regarding the next stages this very much dictated by the uniqueness of your transaction, attraction to the property and on the state of the market. In a buoyant market many home buyers would apply for a home loan with Kent Reliance and pay for the valuation and only if it was satisfactory would they pay their property lawyer to move forward with the conveyancing in Little Haven.
I used Stirling Law a few years ago for my conveyancing in Little Haven. I now require my file but the law firm has closed. What do I do?
Do call the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to help locate your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Little Haven of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously retained, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.
How does the Landlord & Tenant Act 1954 affect my commercial offices in Little Haven and how can you help?
The particular law that you refer to affords a safeguard to business leaseholders, giving them the dueness to make a request to court for a new lease and remain in occupation at the end of an expired lease. There are certain specified grounds where a landlord can refuse a lease renewal and the rules are complicated. We are happy to direct you to commercial conveyancing practices who use the act for protection and help with commercial conveyancing in Little Haven
The property lawyers undertaking our conveyancing in Little Haven has forwarded papers to review that reveal that the property is unregistered with epitome documents. Is it not the case that all property in Little Haven are registered?
Although the vast majorities of properties in Little Haven are now registered with HM Land Registry there are still some that are unregistered. Any property in Little Haven that has been transferred since the late 1980’s will have been registered at the HM Land Registry under the compulsory ‘first registration’ scheme. However, if a Little Haven property has not changed hands in that time then it’s likely the old fashioned title deeds will be the only evidence of ownership.Plenty of Little Haven conveyancing solicitors should be able to handle such matters but if any uncertainty exists the conventional recommendation presently is for the current owners to register it first and subsequently deal with the sale conveyance - this can though naturally cause a significant delay.