My fiance and I are planning to purchase a property in Riddlesdown and have instructed a Riddlesdown conveyancing practice. Within the past 48 hours our solicitor has forwarded the sale agreement to be signed with a detailed report with a view to exchanging next week. Barclays have this afternoon contacted us to advise us that they have now hit a problem as our Riddlesdown solicitor is not on their approved list of lawyers. Is this a problem?
When purchasing a property with the benefit of a mortgage it is conventional for the purchasers' solicitors to also act for the mortgage company. 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 solicitor should contact your lender 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 don't have to instruct a firm on the bank's conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own Riddlesdown solicitors, in which case it will likely add costs, and it may delay matters as you are adding another lawyer into the mix.
What is the first thing I need to know concerning purchase conveyancing in Riddlesdown?
You may not hear this from too many lawyers but conveyancing in Riddlesdown or throughout England and Wales is an adversarial process. Put another way, when it comes to conveyancing there is plenty of room for friction between you and others involved in the transaction. For instance, the vendor, property agent and even potentially a mortgage company. Choosing a law firm for your conveyancing in Riddlesdown is a critical decision as your conveyancer is your adviser, and is the ONE person in the process whose role it is to act in your legal interests and to protect you.
On occasion a third party with a vested interest will attempt to sway you that you should follow their advice. As an example, the property agent may claim to be assisting by claiming that your conveyancer is dragging his heels. Or your mortgage broker may try to convince you to do something that is against your lawyers recommendation. You should always trust your lawyer above all other parties in the conveyancing process.
My partner and I are intent on selling our house in Riddlesdown and the buyers lawyers are claiming that there is a possibility that the property was built on contaminated land. A high street Riddlesdown conveyancer would know this is not the case. For the life of me I don't know why the buyers used an internet conveyancing practice rather than a conveyancing solicitor in Riddlesdown. Having lived in Riddlesdown for three years we know of no issue. Should we get in touch with our local Authority to obtain confirmation that the buyers are looking for.
It would appear that you have a conveyancing solicitor already. Are they able to advise? You should check with your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out life insurance to cover that same ailment)
Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to my house are lost. The conveyancers who conducted the conveyancing in Riddlesdown 10 years ago have long since closed. What are my options?
These day there are copies made of almost everything, and your conveyancer should know precisely where to find all the appropriate documentation so you can purchase or sell your house without any difficulty. Where duplicates are not available, your conveyancer may be able to arrange cover in the form of insurance or indemnities protecting you against future claims on your premises.
I've recently found out that there is a flying freehold issue on a house I put an offer in last month in what should have been a simple, chain free conveyancing. Riddlesdown is the location of the property. Can you shed any light on this issue?
Flying freeholds in Riddlesdown are unusual but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside Riddlesdown you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds thoroughly. Your mortgage company may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Riddlesdown may determine that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold premises.
I need to instruct a conveyancing practitioner in Riddlesdown for my home move. Is there any facility to see a solicitor's record with the profession’s regulator?
Members of the public can review documented Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) determinations resulting from inquisitions commenced on or after Jan 2008. Go to Check a solicitor's record. To find information Pre 2008, or to check a solicitors history, call 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and 09.30 - 18.00 Tuesday. For callers outside the UK, dial +44 (0)121 329 6800. The regulator may recorded call for training purposes.