I am nearing exchange of contracts for my home in Page Green and the EA has just e-mailed to warn that the buyers are swapping law firm. The excuse is that the lender will only engage with property lawyers on their conveyancing panel. On what basis would a major lender only deal with specific solicitors rather the firm that they want to appoint for their conveyancing in Page Green ?
Mortgage companies have always had an approved set of law firms they are willing to work with, but in recent years big names such as Nationwide, have considered and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have worked with them for decades.
Banks point to the increase in fraud as the reason for the reduction – criteria have been narrowed 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 says it is hearing daily from firms that have been removed from panels. Some are unaware that they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyers' case. Your purchasers are not going to have any sway in the decision.
We were just about to sign contracts for a property in Page Green. We have hit a stumbling block. Our mortgage offer with Coventry Building Society runs out on 11/2/2025 but the owners are insisting on a completion date of 13/2/2025. Is it possible to extend the mortgage expiry date?
The person best placed to address this concern is your lawyer who is in a position to calculate whether they corresponding with the mortgage broker, vendor’s representatives, selling agents or indeed all three taking into account the circumstances your conveyancing to date.
It is is a decade since I purchased my property in Page Green. Conveyancing lawyers have just been instructed on the sale but I am unable to find the deeds. Will this cause complications?
You need not be too concerned. First there is a possibility that the deeds will be kept by the mortgage company or they could be in the possession of the solicitor who acted in your purchase. Secondly the likelihood is that the property will be registered at the land registry and you will be able to establish that you own the property by your conveyancing lawyers obtaining current official copies of the land registers. Most conveyancing in Page Green involves registered property but in the rare situation where your property is unregistered it adds to the complexity but is not insurmountable.
Have just purchased a probate house at auction in Page Green. Conveyancing is necessary. What happens now?
Now that you have for all intents and purposes signed on the dotted line you now have to retain a conveyancing lawyer as a matter of priority as you will have a fast approaching a fixed date to complete the conveyancing. Every auction property will ordinarily have an associated legal pack. This should include the copy title deeds, local authority and drainage searches. In the case of leasehold premises the auction pack should include a copy of the lease, management information and a sellers leasehold information form and other conveyancing documentation pertinent to a leasehold property. You need to pass this on to your appointed conveyancing solicitor ASAP. Do make sure that your finances are in order to complete on the date specified in the contract.
I currently have a mortgage with Aldermore for my property in Page Green. Conveyancing has been completed months ago. Should I wish to rent out the flat and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a BTL mortgage or inform Aldermore?
You must advise Aldermore in advance of letting out your property as this is likely to be a breach of Aldermore’s mortgage conditions. It may be that Aldermore will allow you to rent 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 Aldermore directly. You need not do this via a Aldermore conveyancing panel lawyer.
After much negotiation I have agreed a price on a house in Page Green. My financial adviser recommended their conveyancers. I paid an on account payment of £175. Not long after, the conveyancer contacted me embarrassingly acknowledging that they were not on the Skipton 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 Skipton 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 used Action Conveyancing several years past for my conveyancing in Page Green. Now, I need my documents however cannot find the solicitor. What do I do?
You should call the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to help locate your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Page Green of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously used, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.
I have recently had an offer accepted on an apartment in Page Green and the mortgage adviser that we are using suggested his lawyer. They quoted £900 plus VAT and disbursements. Does this sound expensive?
Don't just go on 1 quote. You should obtain like-for-like quotes for your conveyancing in Page Green. Then choose one that you are comfortable with and just as important, is on the approved panel of the mortgage company that you have applied for a mortgage from.