I am nearing exchange of contracts for my flat in Notting Hill and the estate agent has just called to warn that the purchasers are swapping conveyancer. I am told that this is due to the fact that the lender will only deal with property lawyers on their conveyancing panel. On what basis would a big named mortgage company only deal with specific solicitors rather the firm that they want to choose for their conveyancing in Notting Hill ?
UK lenders have always had panels of law firms they are willing to work with, but in recent years big names such as Santander, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have worked with them for decades.
Lenders blame a rise in fraud by way of justification for the reduction – criteria have been tightened as a smaller panel is easier to maintain. Banks tend not to disclose how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society claims that it is being contacted daily by practices that have been removed from panels. Plenty of firms do not even realise they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyers' case. The buyers are unlikely to have any impact on this.
My wife and I purchasing a detached bungalow in Notting Hill. Our aim is to carry out an extension to the side at the house.Will the conveyancing process involve enquiries to ascertain if these alterations are prohibited?
Your solicitor should review the registered title as conveyancing in Notting Hill will sometimes reveal restrictions in the title deeds which prevent categories of works or need the consent of another owner. Some works call for local authority planning permissions and approval in compliance with building regulations. Certain areas are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which often prevent or affect extensions. It would be sensible to check these things with a surveyor prior to committing yourself to a purchase.
The formalities of my remortgage has taken place for my property in Notting Hill. Conveyancing was a necessary evil 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 point of contact should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Services Team at head office. In most cases complaints to a lender are sorted out effectively and efficiently. However if you are not satisfied that the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service who will take matters further.
After much negotiation I have agreed a price on a house in Notting Hill. My financial adviser recommended their conveyancers. I paid an upfront payment of £200. A few days later, the solicitor called me embarrassingly acknowledging that they were not on the RBS 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 RBS 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.
I have todayfound out that Action Conveyancing have closed. They carried out my conveyancing in Notting Hill for a purchase of a freehold house 10 months ago. How can I check that the property is in my name in the name of the previous owner?
The quickest way to see 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 Notting Hill conveyancing specialists.
Over the last few months I have been searching for a flat up to £195,000 and found one near me in Notting Hill I like with open areas and transport links nearby, the downside is that it only has 51 years unexpired on the lease. There is not much else in Notting Hill in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error acquiring a short lease?
If you require a home loan the shortness of the lease may be problematic. Discount the offer by the amount the lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the existing proprietor has owned the premises for at least twenty four months you may ask them to commence the lease extension formalities and pass it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer regarding this matter.
I need to instruct a conveyancing solicitor for residential conveyancing in Notting Hill. I have discover a site which appears to be the ideal offering If there is a chance to get all this stuff done via phone that would be ideal. Do I need to be concerned? What should out be looking out for?
As usual with these online conveyancers you need to read ALL the small print - did you notice the extra charge for dealing with the mortgage?
We are contemplating instructing a web based lawyer ahead of a Notting Hill conveyancing practice. Should I ‘stay local’?
Various benefits exist in having the opportunity to pop in to a local Notting Hill conveyancing solicitor for instance
- signing papers on short notice
- having face-to-face explanations of things that need explaining
- the ability to raise concerns if matters are not going as expected
When analysing fees, look carefully for hidden extras. The majority decent Notting Hill high street solicitors give an all-inclusive figure. Often online agents seem to offer discounted prices, but have hidden 'extras' in the in the terms and conditions.