My wife and I are planning to purchase a 1 bedroom flat in Oakhill with a mortgage. We have a Oakhill conveyancer, however the lender advise she’s not on their "panel". It appears that we have no choice but to instruct one of the lender panel firms or continue with our Oakhill lawyer as well as pay for one of their panel lawyers to act for them. We consider that this is inequitable; is there anything we can do?
No, not really. Your mortgage offer is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the lender’s conveyancing panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. A further alternative is for your Oakhill conveyancing solicitor to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.
In the event thatI were to purchase a simple residential homein Oakhill mortgage fee and have no survey and no local authority searches how much would I expect to have to pay for conveyancing in Oakhill?
The sole reduction in fees you would make on is the disbursement for searches. The conveyancer is obliged to do the vast majority of work - money laundering, correspond with your sellers conveyancing practitioner, stamp duty submission, register the property etc. You might save a bit for them not needing to register a mortgage but it won't be significant.
Can I use your services to find a Conveyancing solicitor in Oakhill even where I’m not buying or selling a house, for example if I intend to buy an office in Oakhill with a mortgage from National Westminster Bank?
Our search tool is mainly there to locate residential conveyancing solicitors in Oakhill but we have set out towards the bottom of this page a selection of Oakhill commercial conveyancing firms. You will need to make contact with the firm directly to establish if they are also authorised to represent National Westminster Bank
is it true that all Oakhill solicitor practices on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel are regulated by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority?
As a firm of solicitors, in order to be on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel they would need to be regulated by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority. Many mortgage companies do list licenced conveyancers on their panel in which case such practice would be regulated by the CLC.
We previously chose conveyancing lawyers based in Oakhill on the TSB solicitor approved list. They have just billed me a separate fee for the legal aspects of the TSB mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee specified by TSB?
As unfair as it may seem, as long as it’s in their Terms and Conditions or estimate then yes your conveyancer is entitled to levy a fee for this. This fee is not dictated by TSB but by your Oakhill conveyancer. Numerous firms on the TSB panel will levy ’dealing with mortgage’ fee but many practices incorporate it on their overall fee.
After weeks of negotiation I have agreed a price on a house in Oakhill. My mortgage broker suggested a conveyancing practitioner. I paid an upfront payment of £175. A few days later, the lawyer called me to say that they were not on the Principality 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 Principality 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.
Is it simple use your search tool to select a conveyancing lawyer in Oakhill on the approved list for my bank?
First pick a lender such as Lloyds TSB Bank, Leeds Building Society or Britannia then choose your location for instance Oakhill. Conveyancing practices in Oakhill and nationally should be shown.
My brother has suggested that I appoint his conveyancing solicitors in Oakhill. Should I find my own solicitor?
No doubt the best way to find a conveyancing lawyer is to seek referrals from friends or family who have actually previously instructed the conveyancer that you are considering.