We're in Pattingham, FTBs purchasing with a mortgage (lender is Bank of Ireland , and our lawyer is on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel). How long should the conveyancing process take?
The fact that your lawyer is on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel is a help. It would almost certainly delay matters if they were not. However, no conveyancing practitioner should guarantee a timeframe for your conveyancing, due to third parties outside of your control such as delays caused by lenders,conveyancing search providers or by the other side’s solicitors. The time taken is often determined by the number of parties in a chain.
A relative informed me that in buying a property in Pattingham there may be various restrictions preventing external alterations to a property. Is this right?
We are aware of a number of properties in Pattingham which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to carry out external alterations. Part of the conveyancing in Pattingham should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.
I'm in the process of looking at houses in Pattingham and I am now considering a potential offer. Should I already have a solicitor in place at this stage? I will be getting a home loan with Coventry BS.
It would be sensible to commence your search sooner rather than later. After you have chosen your lawyer and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and pass their details on to the selling agent. As you are obtaining a mortgage with Coventry BS, ask your prospective lawyers if they are on the Coventry BS conveyancing panel otherwise they can't do the mortgage legal work.
After shopping around on the internet I have found a Pattingham solicitor having checked that they are on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?
Bank of Ireland will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Bank of Ireland will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. Your solicitor will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by your Pattingham postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Bank of Ireland, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Pattingham.
Various internet forums that I have frequented warn that are the number one cause of hinderance in Pattingham house deals. Is there any truth in this?
The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) published findings of research by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not feature amongst the most frequent causes of hindrances in the conveyancing process. Local searches are unlikely to feature in any delay in conveyancing in Pattingham.
Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to our home can not be found. The conveyancers who conducted the conveyancing in Pattingham 10 years ago no longer exist. Will I be able to sell the house?
You no longer need to have the physical official documentation to prove you are the registered proprietor of land or property, as the Land Registry have everything they need in a digital format.
How does conveyancing in Pattingham differ for newly converted properties?
Most buyers of new build property in Pattingham contact us having been asked by the developer to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the premises is ready to move into. This is because builders in Pattingham typically acquire the site, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct conveyancers as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are used to new build conveyancing in Pattingham or who has acted in the same development.
Am I best advised to use a Pattingham conveyancing lawyer based in the vicinity that I am buying? I have an old university friend who can conduct the legal work however her office is a couple of hundredmiles drive away.
The benefit of a high street Pattingham conveyancing practice is that you can attend the office to sign paperwork, deliver your identification documents and apply pressure on them where appropriate. Having local Pattingham know how is a plus. That being said nothing is more important than finding someone that will pull out all the stops for you. If you know people who instructed your friend and in the main were impressed that must outweigh using an unknown Pattingham conveyancing lawyer solely due to them being round the corner.