We are buying a 1 bedroom apartment in Llanbedr with a mortgage. We like our Llanbedr conveyancer, however the bank advise she’s not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the mortgage company panel firms or keep our Llanbedr lawyer as well as pay for one of their panel firms to act for them. We regard this is unjust; can we not demand that the mortgage company use our Llanbedr solicitor ?
No, not really. 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 Llanbedr conveyancing lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.
My Llanbedr solicitor has spotted an inconsistency between the surveyor’s assumptions in the home valuation report and what is in the title deeds. My lawyer informs me that he is duty bound to check that the bank is happy with this discrepancy and is still content to lend. Is my lawyer’s approach appropriate?
Your solicitor must comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook requirements which do require that your lawyer disclose any incorrect assumptions in the lender’s valuation report and the legal papers. Should you refuse to allow your lawyer to make the appropriate notification then your lawyer will have no choice but to discontinue acting for both parties.
My conveyancer has informed me that lack of planning permission insurance is necessary on my purchase. What is the level of cover for Llanbedr conveyancing?
The appropriate level of lack of planning permission indemnity insurance depends on who your lender is. It would differ for example between Yorkshire Building Society and Leeds Building Society. Conveyancing practitioners as opposed to borrowers take out such policies.
We were going to get a AIP from Aldermore this week so we know how much we could potentially offer as otherwise we are dependent on web based calculators (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do Aldermore recommend any Llanbedr solicitors on the Aldermore conveyancing panel, or is it better to go independently?
You will need to appoint Llanbedr solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the Aldermore conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and Aldermore through the process.
After weeks of negotiation I have agreed a price on an apartment in Llanbedr. My mortgage broker recommended their conveyancers. I paid an upfront payment of £225. A couple of days later, the solicitor called me embarrassingly acknowledging that they were not on the Nationwide conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?
You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Nationwide panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.
We are intent on selling our property in Llanbedr and according to the buyers it appears that there is a risk of it being built land that was not decontaminated. Any high street Llanbedr lawyer would know this is not the case. It does beg the question why the purchasers used an online conveyancing outfit rather than a conveyancing solicitor in Llanbedr. We have lived in Llanbedr for 4 years we know of no issue. Do we get in touch with our local Authority to seek confirmation need.
It sounds as though you may have a conveyancing solicitor already. What do they say? You must 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)
I used Wolstenholmes several years ago for my conveyancing in Llanbedr. I now require my file however the law firm is no longer operating. What do I do?
Do contact the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to assist in tracking down 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 Llanbedr 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.
When it comes to my conveyancing in Llanbedr should I be charged VAT on the following: (1) Land reg fee on purchase (2) Pre - completion search fee (3) SDLT E submission on purchase (4) Bank TT fee
(1) Land reg fee on purchase - No (2) Pre - completion search fees -No, (such conveyancing searches are HMLR ones and means £4 and possibly £2 bankruptcy per name on your mortgage) (3) SDLT E submission on your purchase - There is no VAT on Stamp Duty. However if the firm is charging a stamp duty e-submission fee as part of their services - some Llanbedr conveyancers do - that will incur VAT(4) Bank transfer fee - Yes it is for the solicitor's time in submitting the funds this way.