What happens if my lawyer’s firm is removed from the Virgin Money Conveyancing panel ahead of completing my conveyancing in Malden?
The first thing to point out is that, this is very unlikely to happen. In most cases even where a law firm is removed off of a panel the lender would allow the completion to go ahead as the lender would appreciate the difficulties that they would place you in if you have to instruct a new solicitor days before completion. In a worst case scenario where the lender insists that you instruct a new firm then it is possible for a very good lawyer to expedite the conveyancing albeit that you may pay a significant premium for this. The analogous situation is where a buyer instructs a lawyer, exchanges contracts and the law firm is shut down by a regulator such as the SRA. Again, in this situation you can find lawyers who can troubleshoot their way to bring the conveyancing to a satisfactory conclusion - albeit for a fee.
Is it the case that all Malden solicitor firms on the Principality conveyancing panel are regulated by the SRA?
As a firm of solicitors, in order to be on the Principality conveyancing panel they would need to be overseen by the SRA. The majority of lenders do allow licenced conveyancers on their panel and in that case the practice would be overseen by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.
I had a mortgage agreed in principle with HSBC. Malden conveyancing practitioners have been instructed. How long does it take for HSBC to forward the offer to the solicitor?
Some lenders take longer than others. Have HSBC completed the valuation? Have you advised HSBC as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the HSBC conveyancing panel? It is not unusual for a mortgage offer to take a month to come through.
After months of negotiation I have agreed a price on an apartment in Malden. My mortgage broker pressured me to appoint their conveyancer. I paid an advanced payment of £225. Not long after, the conveyancing practitioner contacted me sheepishly admitting 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.
What will a local search reveal concerning the property I am purchasing in Malden?
Malden conveyancing often commences with the submitting local authority searches directly from your local Authority or through a personal search company such as Searchflow The local search is essential in every Malden conveyancing purchase; that is if you wish to avoid any unpleasant once you have moved into your property. The search should supply information on, amongst other things, details on planning applications applicable to the property (whether granted or refused), building control history, any enforcement action, restrictions on permitted development, nearby road schemes, contaminated land and radon gas; in all a total of 13 subject headings.
I have recentlyfound out that Stirling Law have been shut down. They carried out my conveyancing in Malden for a purchase of a leasehold flat 10 months ago. How can I establish that the property is not still registered in the name of the previous owner?
The quickest method to check if the property is in your name, you can carry out a search of the land registry (£3.00). You can either do this yourself or ask a law firm to do this for you. If you are not registered you can seek help from one of a number of Malden conveyancing specialists.
I was recommended by three or four local estate agents in Malden to select a property lawyer using your seach tool. Is there a financial inducement for Estate Agents to market your site over and above another?
We don’t offer any commission for directing people in our direction. We found it would be just too difficult a fee as home movers will think, ‘Why is the agent getting a kickback? Why am I not receiving any benefit too?’ We would prefer to grow our business on genuine recommendations.
My lawyers in Malden have advised me that they can not locate my conveyancing file. To assist with my purchase I took out a mortgage with the mortgage company. Is it case that being on the bank conveyancing panel they need to have retained the file for a number of years?
It very much depends from lender to lender but many of the Terms and Conditions of Conveyancing Panel Appointment require the file to be held for a period of 6 years. That being said we have not seen a copy of the lender Conveyancing Panel Terms. It might be worth you contacting the bank directly.