Am I correct in assuming that the fact that my solicitor in Llay is not listed on my bank's solicitor panel that there is a problem with the standard of the firm’s work?
It would be unwise to jump to that conclusion. There are all sorts of perfectly reasonable explanations. Just recently a report by the solicitors regulator indicated 76% of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The most common reasons for removal are: (1) lack of transactions (2) the solicitor is a sole practitioner (3) as part of the HSBC panel reduction (4) regulatory contact by SRA (5) accidental removal. If you are concerned you should contact the Llay conveyancing practice and ask them why they are no longer on the approved list for your bank.
I'm in the process of looking at apartments in Llay and I am about to put in an offer. Is it sensible to have my lawyer on ‘stand by’? I am planning to take a home loan with Nottingham.
It would be sensible to start your search sooner rather than later. After you have chosen your lawyer and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and pass their details on to the EA. Given that you are taking out a mortgage with Nottingham, ask your prospective lawyers if they are on the Nottingham conveyancing panel otherwise they can't do the mortgage legal work.
The formalities of my purchase has taken place for my property in Llay. Conveyancing was of an acceptable standard but I feel I should register my dissatisfaction about the lender. How do I make a complaint?
Almost all banks and building societies have complaints procedures. Your first port of call should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Services Team at head office. In most cases complaints to a lender are resolved very quickly. If you feel the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service, South Quay Plaza, 183 Marsh Wall, London E14 9SR with full details of your complaint.
I have finally had an offer on an apartment in Llay agreed to, but there is a chain. The vendors have placed an offer on somewhere, however it’s not yet agreed to, and are looking at other apartments booked. I have selected a nearby conveyancing solicitor in Llay. What should be my next step? When do I get the mortgage application with RBS started?
It is understandable to have apprehensions where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to be too out of pocket too early (home loan application is in the region of £1k, then survey, Llay conveyancing search costs, etc). The first thing to do is check that your solicitor is on the RBS approved list. Regarding the next stages this very much dictated by the circumstances of your case, desire for this property and on the state of the market. In a buoyant market the majority of home buyers will apply for the mortgage with RBS and arrange for the valuation and only if it was satisfactory would they pay their conveyancing practitioner to press on with the conveyancing in Llay.
I am selling our property in Llay and the buyers lawyers are claiming that there is a possibility that the property was constructed land that was not decontaminated. A local lawyer would know this is not the case. It does beg the question why the buyers used a nationwide conveyancing practice as opposed to a conveyancing solicitor in Llay. Having lived in Llay for many years we know of no issue. Should we contact our local Authority to get clarification need.
It would appear that you have a conveyancing firm currently acting for you. Are they able to advise? 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 illness)
I am buying a new build house in Llay with a mortgage from Nottingham Building Society. The builders would not move on the amount so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of fixtures and fittings instead. The property agent suggested that I not disclose to my solicitor about the side-deal as it would adversely affect my loan with the lender. Is this normal?.
All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the builder 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.
We're FTB’s - agreed a price, but the agent informed us that the seller will only issue a contract if we instruct their preferred lawyers as they are insisting on a ‘quick sale’. We would rather use a local solicitor accustomed to conveyancing in Llay
We suspect that the seller is unaware of this request. Should the vendor want ‘a quick sale', turning down a genuine buyer is counter productive. Contact the sellers directly and make sure they understand (a)you are keen to buy (b)you are ready to progress, with mortgage lined up © you are chain free (d) you intend to proceed fast (e)however you will continue to use your own,trusted Llay conveyancing lawyers - not the ones that will give their estate agent a introducer fee or hit his conveyancing targets pre-set by head office.
Are all Llay legal practices on every bank conveyancing panel?
You can use our search tool or you can drop into your local bank branch in Llay. the probability is that they will know some good conveyancing solicitors in Llay