Unfortunately I am unable to travel far from New Eltham. Is there a reason why all New Eltham lawyers are not on all bank panels?
A decade ago most lenders exhibited an approach to risk which differs from the current day. The financial regulator in 2010 carried out a thematic review into property fraud which in summary warned lenders: know the conveyancing practitioners on your panel. Accordingly, lenders have subsequently looked to extract more information from law firms regarding their operations and the staff employed by them and set certain criteria such as completing a minimum number of transactions. Thousands of law practices have found themselves excluded from lender panels even though they had 100% healthy track record, no complaints and no claims and didn't just 'dabble' in conveyancing. Such firms found it impossible meet the criteria of amount of transactions the lenders insisted on.
We are selling our home in New Eltham. Will the solicitor have to be on the Santander conveyancing panel in order to deal with repayment of my mortgage?
Ordinarily, even if your lawyer is not on the Santander conveyancing panel they can still act for you on your sale. It might be that the lender will not release the original deeds (if applicable and increasingly irrelevant) until after the mortgage is paid off. You should speak to your lawyer directly before you start the process though to ensure that there is no problem as lenders are changing their conditions fairly frequently at the moment.
My wife and I are planning on selling our house in New Eltham and according to the buyers it appears that there is a possibility that the property was built on contaminated land. Any local conveyancer would know that there is no such problem. For the life of me I don't know why the purchasers instructed a national conveyancing firm as opposed to a conveyancing solicitor in New Eltham. Having lived in New Eltham for three years we know that this is a non issue. Should we contact our local Authority to get clarification need.
It sounds as though you may have a conveyancing lawyer currently acting for you. Are they able to advise? You need to enquire of 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 life insurance to cover that same sickness)
Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to my house can not be found. The solicitors who dealt with the conveyancing in New Eltham 10 years ago have long since closed. What do I do?
As long as you have a registered title the information relating to your ownership will be evidenced by HMLR under a Title Number. It is possible to perform a search at the Land Registry, locate your house and get current copies of the property title for less than a fiver. Where the title is Leasehold then the Land Registry will in most cases retain a certified copy of the Registered Lease and again, a copy can be retrieved for a small fee.
I'm refinancing my current house to a buy to let mortgage with Yorkshire Building Society and I will use the rest of the raised equity as a deposit on another property. The location we are talking about is New Eltham. Will your lawyers be able to act for both sets of lenders and tie in the two deals?
Make use of our comparison tool on this site to ensure that the conveyancers are approved by both lenders. Assuming that they are the conveyancer will be able to connect the two conveyancing matters but you should have a chat with you lawyer and make clear your desired outcome and requirements.
I am considering using an online conveyancer ahead of a New Eltham conveyancing practice. Any advice?
Various benefits exist in having the opportunity to pop in to a local New Eltham conveyancing solicitor for example
- signing documents same day
- sometimes being able to speak to someone face-to-face can make a huge difference, particularly for non-standard transactions
- the ability to complain if matters go pear-shaped
When comparing fees, look out for hidden extras. The majority decent New Eltham high street solicitors give an all-inclusive price. Many online companies seem to offer discounted prices, yet have burried 'extras' in the in the terms and conditions.