My wife and I are looking to acquire a house in Pevensey and are in fact using a Pevensey conveyancing practice. Within the past 48 hours our property lawyer has forwarded the sale agreement to be signed with a detailed report with a view to exchanging next week. Yorkshire Building Society have this evening contacted us to advise us that there is now an issue as our Pevensey conveyancer is not on their approved list of lawyers. What do we do from here?
When purchasing a property with mortgage finance it is normal for the purchasers' lawyers to also represent the purchaser's lender. In order to act for a bank or building society a law firm has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the law firm to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the firm has to satisfy and indeed some lenders now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme. Your property lawyer should contact your bank and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own solicitors to act. You are not legally obliged to appoint a law firm on the lender’s conveyancing panel as you are at liberty to use your preferred Pevensey lawyers, in which case your legal fees may increase, and it may delay matters as you have another set of people involved.
I have given 8 weeks notice to my existing landlord and have to leave my let out flat in Pevensey by the end of next month. Conveyancing for my house purchase is underway. Can I complete in 4 weeks as don't want to have to find temporary accommodation?
The normal practice is not to serve notice for your lease until your lawyer suggests that you should. If you have not previously done so, speak to your conveyancer and request that they cajole the sellers lawyers, try to an agreed time frame that everyone will look to achieve
What is the first thing I need to know about purchase conveyancing in Pevensey?
You may not hear this from too many lawyers but conveyancing in Pevensey or throughout East Sussex is often a confrontational experience. Put another way, when it comes to conveyancing there is lots of opportunity for conflict between you and other parties involved in the legal transfer of property. E.g., the seller, estate agent and on occasion a mortgage company. Appointing a law firm for your conveyancing in Pevensey is a critical decision as your conveyancer is your adviser, and is the SOLE person in the transaction whose role it is to look after your legal interests and to protect you.
We are witnessing a distinct creep in the "blame" culture- someone has to be blamed for the process being so protracted. We recommend that you your first instinct should be to trust your solicitor above the other parties when it comes to the legal assignment of property.
I have been told that property searches are the main cause of delay in Pevensey house deals. Is this right?
The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) published findings of a review by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not feature within the common causes of delays in the conveyancing process. Searches are unlikely to be the root cause of delay in conveyancing in Pevensey.
The deeds to my property are lost. The conveyancers who handled the conveyancing in Pevensey 10 years ago no longer exist. Will I be able to sell the house?
As long as you have a registered title the information relating to your ownership will be retained by the Land Registry with a Title Number. It is possible to conduct a search at the Land Registry, find your house and secure current copies of the Registered Entries for a small fee. Where the property is Leasehold then the Land Registry will usually retain a certified copy of the Registered Lease and again, a copy can be ordered for twenty pounds.
My partner has suggested that I use his conveyancing solicitors in Pevensey. Should I find my own solicitor?
Much as we are happy to recommend a Pevensey conveyancing lawyer the best way to select a conveyancing solicitor is to get guidance from friends or relatives who have actually experience in using the firm that you are are thinking of instructing.