We are purchasing a 1 bedroom apartment in Shenfield with a mortgage. We wish to retain our Shenfield solicitor, but the bank says he's not on their "panel". It appears that we have no choice but to select one of the lender panel solicitors or continue with our Shenfield property lawyer and pay for one of their panel firms to act for them. This seems very unfair; is there anything we can do?
Unfortunately,no. Your mortgage offer is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the lender’s conveyancing panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. Another option that might be available is for your Shenfield conveyancing lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.
Completed the sale of my flat in Shenfield last February yet the purchaser is telephoning me to say his solicitor needs to hear from mine. What should my lawyer have done following completion?
After completion of your disposal your lawyer should forward the transfer deeds and all of the paperwork to the purchaser's lawyers. If applicable, your solicitor should also confirm that the mortgage has been discharged to the buyers conveyancers. There is unlikely to be post completion formalities peculiar conveyancing in Shenfield.
I am considering remortgaging my flat in Shenfield, does my lawyer need to be on the TSB Solicitor panel?
There is nothing to stop you using your solicitor, but TSB will insist on their interests being represented by a firm on their conveyancing panel. There is greater potential for delays and confusion with an additional lawyer added to the mix, and it will undoubtedly be more expensive too.
4 months have elapsed since my purchase conveyancing in Shenfield completed. I have checked the Land Registry site which shows that I paid £175,000 when infact I paid £180,000. Why the discrepancy?
The price paid figure is taken from the application to register the purchase. It is the figure included in the Transfer (the legal deed which transfers the asset from one person to the other) and referred to as the 'consideration' or purchase price. You can report an error in the price paid figure using the LR online form. In most cases errors result from typos so at first glance the figure. Do report it so they can double check and advise.
Is it best to use a Shenfield conveyancing practitioner who is local to the property I am purchasing? An old friend can execute the conveyancing but his firm is located over three hundred kilometers away.
The benefit of a high street Shenfield conveyancing firm is that you can drop in to sign paperwork, present your ID and apply pressure on them if necessary. They will also have local knowledge which is a bonus. That being said nothing is more important than finding someone that will pull out all the stops for you. If other friends have instructed your friend and the majority were happy that should outweigh using an unfamiliar Shenfield conveyancing solicitor just because they are local.
My aim is to purchase a ground floor apartment in Shenfield. Conveyancing lawyer has been awaiting, from the seller, building insurance schedule. This afternoon I was informed that the vendor must send the insurance paperwork for the flat above also. Why does my conveyancer want to check the insurance for the other flat? Is it really required? We have been stalled for the last fortnight…
It is not unheard of in leasehold conveyancing in Shenfield to find Conveyancing in Shenfield in a minority of cases reveals that the lease provides for the leasehold owners to insure their individual flats as opposed to the landlord insuring the whole property - which is clearly better. You should check with your conveyancer but it would appear that your lawyer is attempting to establish that the entire building is insured. Insuring a ground floor apartment is no help when it comes to rebuilding after a fire if the 1st floor cannot be reconstructed as a result of lack of insurance cover.