My mortgage broker has asked me for my March lawyer’ panel member for the HSBC conveyancing panel. How do I discover this. I have e-mailed my local March office but they don't know it.
You are best placed to get this information from your March solicitor . They maintain a central record lender panel numbers.
We are soon to exchange on the purchase of a house in March but as a consequence of wreckage from the recent storms I have was able negotiate compensation from the current proprietors in the sum of £2k by way of a deduction in the price. I had intended this to be dealt with as part of the conveyancing process but Nationwide will not permit this. Why were they notified?
Any property lawyer that is on the Nationwide conveyancing panel is required to advise Nationwide of any changes to the sale price. If you prohibit your conveyancing practitioner to notify the reduction to Nationwide then they would have to discontinue acting for you. In addition, Nationwide and you would have to appoint a new property lawyer for your conveyancing in March.
Having sold my house in March last May yet the purchaser is SMS messaging me to moan that their lawyer needs to hear from mine. What are the post completion sale legalities now that I have sold?
After completion of your disposal your lawyer is committed to send the transfer documentation and all additional paperwork to the purchaser's solicitors. If applicable, your solicitor should also confirm that the mortgage has been discharged to the purchasers solicitors. There are no post completion steps peculiar conveyancing in March.
I am buying a property in March. One unusual aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Lloyds have issued a mortgage offer so presumably this is not a concern to them. Why is my solicitor raising questions about the panel?
As your lender is Lloyds your lawyer must check the formal instructions outlined in Part 2 of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Lloyds. The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook stipulates minimum specifications for solar panel roof-space leases, and lawyers are required to report to Lloyds where a lease fails to satisfy these specifications. The provisions relate to the installation of panels on properties nationwide and is not limited to March.
I currently have a mortgage with Nottingham for my property in March. Conveyancing was finalised 12 months ago. In the event that I decide to rent out my property and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a buy-to-let mortgage or inform Nottingham?
Your original mortgage agreement with Nottingham will provide that you need their approval before letting out your property as this is likely to be a breach of Nottingham’s mortgage conditions. In many cases banks or building societies will permit you to let out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact Nottingham directly. You need not do this via a Nottingham conveyancing panel firm.
After months of negotiation I have agreed a price on a house in March. My mortgage broker recommended their conveyancers. I paid an on account payment of £175. Not long after, the conveyancing practitioner contacted me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the Santander 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 Santander 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.
Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold element on a property I have offered on two weeks back in what should have been a quick, chain free conveyancing. March is the location of the property. Can you offer any guidance?
Flying freeholds in March are not the norm but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside March you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds diligently. Your mortgage company may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in March may determine that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold residence.
I am thinking of appointing a conveyancing lawyer in March for my house move. Is it possible to see a solicitor's complaints history with the profession’s regulator?
Anyone can see documented Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) decisions resulting from inquisitions commenced on or after 1 January 2008. Visit Check a solicitor's record. For details about the period before 1 January 2008, or to check a solicitors history, telephone 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 any week day save for Tuesday when lines open at 9.30am. For non-uk callers, use +44 (0)121 329 6800. The regulator sometimes recorded call for training requirements.