Is the fact that my conveyancer in Salisbury is not listed on my lender's conveyancing panel that there is a problem with the quality of the firm’s conveyancing?
It would not be wise to jump to that conclusion. There are plenty of reasonable explanations. Just recently a report by the solicitors regulator indicated that over three quarters of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The most common reasons for removal are: (1) lack of transactions (2) the solicitor is a sole practitioner (3) as part of the HSBC panel reduction (4) regulatory contact by SRA (5) accidental removal. Should you be concerned you should contact the Salisbury conveyancing practice and ask them why they are no longer on the approved list for your bank.
I am considering applying for a Yorkshire BS mortgage for purchase of a new build (under development) in Salisbury with 70% loan to value. Is it compulsory to choose a solicitor on the conveyancing panel for Yorkshire BS ?
There is nothing to stop you using your solicitor, but Yorkshire BS will insist on their interests being represented by a firm on their conveyancing panel. There is much more potential for delays and confusion with two solicitors involved, and it will undoubtedly be more expensive too.
This question may be naive but I am new to the process as a first time purchaser of a ground floor flat in Salisbury. Do I collect the keys to the house on the completion date from my solicitor? If this is the case, I will instruct a High Street conveyancing solicitor in Salisbury?
On the day of completion you will not be required to attend the conveyancers office in Salisbury. Conveyancing lawyers for you will arrange to send the completion advance to the vendor’s conveyancers, and once they have received this, you will be invited to receive the keys from the Estate Agents and move into your new home. Usually this occurs between 1 and 3pm.
After weeks of negotiation I have agreed a price on a house in Salisbury. My financial adviser suggested a lawyer. I paid an upfront payment of £225. A few days later, the solicitor called me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the Lloyds 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 Lloyds 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.
Planning on purchasing a house in Salisbury. I have received an online quote from a licenced conveyancer, which states: "There will be no charge for dealing with the Lender if you are obtaining a mortgage". I take this to mean that there will be no additional fee if the solicitor is on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel. I wanted to make sure it means there will be no additional fees for dealing with the mortgage.
They are simply saying that the cost for acting for the lender is included in the fee being quoted. It is worth you checking that the Salisbury lawyer is on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel.
My wife and I own a semi-detached Edwardian house in Salisbury. Conveyancing solicitor acted for me and Platform Home Loans Ltd. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and I saw a couple of entries: the first freehold, another for leasehold under the exact same property. Is it worth asking Platform Home Loans Ltd to clarify?
You should read the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Salisbury and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they sell they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with buyers. You can also question the situation with the conveyancing lawyer who carried out the work.
I opted to have a survey completed on a property in Salisbury prior to retaining solicitors. I have been told that there is a flying freehold element to the house. The surveyor has said that some mortgage companies may not grant a loan on this type of property.
It depends who your proposed lender is. Bank of Scotland has different instructions for example to Birmingham Midshires. If you e-mail us we can check via the appropriate lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Salisbury. Conveyancing can be more complicated and therefore you should check with your conveyancing solicitor in Salisbury to see if the conveyancing will be more expensive.
How do I use your search tool to get a costs illustration from a conveyancing lawyer in Salisbury on the approved list for my bank?
1st pick a lender such as Lloyds TSB Bank, Chelsea Building Society or Barclays Direct then specify your preferred area for example Salisbury. Conveyancing organisations in Salisbury and beyond should be listed.