I am searching for value for money property lawyer. Should I go for for a nationwide conveyancer as opposed to a local Sandhurst conveyancing solicitor?
Established third party connections are another important factor to consider when choosing conveyancing lawyers. Sandhurst law firms enjoy long term relationships with financial advisers and agents, local authorities, valuers and other law firms meaning you will move in shortest possible time. Having specialist intelligence of the local area is also a plus .
In what way does my ID and proof of funds have anything to do with my conveyancing in Sandhurst? Is this really warranted?
It is indeed that case that these requests have nothing to do with conveyancing in Sandhurst. However these days you will not be able to proceed with any conveyancing transaction in the absence supplying proof of your identity. Ordinarily this takes the form of a either your passport or driving licence plus a utility bill. Please note that if you are providing your driving licence as proof of ID it needs to be both the paper section as well as the photo card part, one is not sufficient without the other.
Evidence of the source of funds is mandated under Money Laundering Regulations. You should not be offended when when this is requested of you as your conveyancer must have this information on record. Your Sandhurst conveyancing lawyer will require evidence of proof of funds before they are able to accept any monies from you into their client account and they should also ask additional queries regarding the source of funds.
My bid for a property was accepted at auction in Sandhurst. Conveyancing is required. What are my next steps?
Given that you are now exchanged you will need to retain a conveyancing practitioner quickly as you will have a tight deadline in which to complete the transaction. An auction property will have an associated legal set of papers. This will include most,if not all of the documents that your solicitor will need. If you have purchased leasehold premises the conveyancing pack should provide a copy of the lease, management information and a sellers leasehold information form and other conveyancing paperwork pertinent to a leasehold property. You should pass this on to your appointed conveyancing solicitor at the earliest opportunity. You also need to ensure that you have funds in place to complete the transaction on the set completion date.
It is not clear whether my mortgage offer requires a lease extension. I have telephoned my Sandhurst building society branch on a couple of occasions and was advised it wasn't a problem and they would lend. My Sandhurst conveyancing solicitor - who is on the mortgage company conveyancing panel- called to say that they refuse to lend based on their published requirements. Who do I believe?
The conveyancing practitioner has to comply with the CML Handbook section two specifications for your bank. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that the mortgage company will go ahead, your lawyer has no choice but to refrain from exchanging contract and committing you to the purchase. We would suggest that you ask the mortgage company to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the number of years left on the lease.
At last I have had an offer on an apartment in Sandhurst accepted, but there is a chain. The owners have placed an offer on somewhere, however it’s not been accepted yet, and have viewings of other apartments booked. I have selected a local conveyancing solicitor in Sandhurst. What should be my next step? At what point do I apply for the mortgage with Kent Reliance?
It is normal to have apprehensions where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to incur costs prematurely (mortgage application is in the region of £1k, then valuation, Sandhurst conveyancing search charges, etc). First, you must ensure that your conveyancing practitioner is on the Kent Reliance approved list. Regarding the subsequent phase this very much depends on the uniqueness of your transaction, desire for this property and on the state of the market. During a buoyant market some buyers will apply for a home loan with Kent Reliance and arrange for the valuation and only if it was satisfactory would they request their conveyancing practitioner to proceed with the conveyancing in Sandhurst.
Various online forums that I have frequented warn that are the primary reason for obstruction in Sandhurst conveyancing transactions. Is there any truth in this?
The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) has noted the findings of a review by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not figure amongst the most frequent causes of delays in the conveyancing process. Searches are not likely to be the root cause of holding up conveyancing in Sandhurst.
My wife and I own a terraced Victorian house in Sandhurst. Conveyancing practitioner represented me and Accord Mortgages Ltd. I did a free Land Registry search last week and there are two entries: one for freehold, another for leasehold with the exact same property. Is it worth asking Accord Mortgages Ltd to clarify?
You should review the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register as there may be 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 Sandhurst and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they buy they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with lenders. You can also enquire as to the situation with the conveyancing practitioner who conducted the conveyancing.
Much to my surprise my property lawyer in Sandhurst has informed me that he requires personal identification documents stating that this forms part of his retainer as a solicitor on the bank Conveyancing panel. Am I being spun a yarn?
Due to Money Laundering Regulations your conveyancing lawyer is duty bound to confirm positively your identification when entering into a business relationship with you. It is a criminal offence if your lawyer not do this. If you do not provide ID early in the transaction the solicitor must refuse to act for you. It’s unlikely a lawyer will turn you away if you come to the first meeting without relevant ID but you will have to produce it at some point so you might as well bring it with you to the initial meeting so the lawyer can tick the ID verification box and start sorting out the conveyancing straight away. If you are getting a mortgage, your lawyer also has to check ID documents to satisfy the bank. This is not specific to conveyancing in Sandhurst