I have just been advised by my financial adviser that my Shortlands property lawyer is not on the mortgage company Solicitor panel. What can I do to be certain whether this is indeed the case?
You need to call your Shortlands conveyancer. It is reasonable to expect your lawyer to notify you what has happened. If they are not on the panel they could put your in touch with solicitors on the approved list of lawyers for your lender.
My mortgage company has recommended a law firm on their panel based in Shortlands but I would rather instruct a conveyancing lawyer in Shortlands local to me. Can you assist?
Not all Shortlands conveyancing practices are approved and listed on all banks conveyancing panel. Do make use of the above search tool to locate a Shortlands conveyancing firm on the on the bank panel.
Should our conveyancer be making enquiries about flooding as part of the conveyancing in Shortlands.
Flooding is a growing risk for solicitors dealing with homes in Shortlands. Plenty of people will buy a house in Shortlands, completely aware that at some time, it may suffer from flooding. However, leaving to one side the physical destruction, if a property is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to obtain a mortgage, adequate building insurance, or dispose of the premises. Steps can be carried out as part of the conveyancing process to forewarn the purchaser.
Solicitors are not qualified to offer advice on flood risk, but there are a various checks that can be undertaken by the buyer or by their lawyers which can figure out the risks in Shortlands. The standard property information forms sent to a purchaser’s conveyancer (where the Conveyancing Protocol is adopted) includes a standard question of the vendor to find out whether the premises has ever been flooded. If flooding has previously occurred and is not disclosed by the seller, then a buyer could issue a claim for damages as a result of such an inaccurate response. The purchaser’s solicitors may also order an enviro report. This will higlight if there is a recorded flood risk. If so, further investigations will need to be made.
My wife and I purchased a semi-detached Victorian property in Shortlands. Conveyancing practitioner acted for me and Chelsea Building Society. I did a free Land Registry search last week and there are two entries: one for freehold, another for leasehold under the exact same property. I thought I was buying a freehold how can I check?
You need to review 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 Shortlands 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 purchasers. You can also check the position with your conveyancing practitioner who conducted the purchase.
My partner has urged me to appoint his lawyers for conveyancing in Shortlands. Should I use them?
No doubt it’s preferable to choose a conveyancing solicitor is to get feedback from friends or family who have previously instructed the firm you're are thinking of instructing.
We have had DIP from Alliance & Leicester who said that they will lend up to £218k. When do we need to appoint a practitioner for conveyancing? Shortlands is where we are purchasing.
You can appoint a solicitor now requesting that they generate a file on your behalf. This will trigger: 1) the estate agent to issue a Sales Memo to the relevant parties 2) the seller’s lawyer to send out the draft agreement. However, do not instruct your conveyancing practitioner to start searches until you receive your valuation report from Alliance & Leicester and you are content to move forward.