I am 4 weeks into the sale of my home in Rochford and the estate agent has just called to warn that the purchasers are swapping law firm. The excuse is that the bank will only engage with solicitors on their conveyancing panel. Why would a big named mortgage company only deal with specific law firms rather the firm that they want to choose to handle their conveyancing in Rochford ?
UK lenders have always had panels of law firms that can represent them, but in the past few 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 more than 25 years.
Lending institutions point to the increase in fraud as the reason for the reduction – criteria have been narrowed as a smaller panel is easier to oversee. No lender will say 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 do not even realise they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyers' case. The purchasers are not going to have any sway in the decision.
We are close to exchanging contracts on the sale of our home in Rochford and the buyers lawyers are claiming that there is a risk of it being built land that was not decontaminated. A high street Rochford lawyer would know that there is no such problem. For the life of me I don't know why the purchasers instructed a factory type conveyancing firm as opposed to a conveyancing solicitor in Rochford. We have lived in Rochford for 5 years we know that this is a non issue. Is it a good idea to contact our local Authority to seek confirmation that there is no issue.
It sounds as though you may have a conveyancing firm currently acting for you. What do they say? You need to enquire of 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 health insurance to cover that same ailment)
I used Stirling Law a few years ago for my conveyancing in Rochford. Now, I need the documents but cannot find the solicitor. What do I do?
You should call the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to assist in tracing 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 Rochford of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously instructed, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.
How does conveyancing in Rochford differ for newly converted properties?
Most buyers of new build premises in Rochford contact us having been asked by the developer to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the property is ready to move into. This is because house builders in Rochford usually buy the land, 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 conveyancing solicitors 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 Rochford or who has acted in the same development.
Given that I am about to spend hundreds of thousands of pounds on a garden flat in Rochford I wish to have a conversation with the solicitor concerning theconveyancing in advance of instructing the firm. Is this something that you can arrange?
Absolutely - it is our preference to talk to you we do not take any clients on without you liaising with the lawyer who will be conducting your property ownership legalities in Rochford.There is no ‘factory style conveyancing’ - every client is unique individual, not a file number. The practices that we put you in touch with believe that the figure you are quoted for residential conveyancing in Rochford should be the figure that you end up paying.
How much experience do your Rochford conveyancing solicitors have with Help To Buy, Shared Equity and similar schemes?
Rochford conveyancing lawyers help thousands of people move home every year and supported lots of clients through the Help To Buy scheme. The chances are that whatever makes your case unique Rochford conveyancers have worked on recent similar matters.