I am one month into the sale of my flat in Slough and the estate agent has just e-mailed to say that the buyers are swapping property lawyer. I am told that this is due to the fact that the mortgage company will only deal with property lawyers on their approved list. On what basis would a leading lender only work with specific solicitors rather the firm that they want to choose to handle their conveyancing in Slough ?
Lenders have always had panels of law firms that can act for them, but in recent years big names such as HSBC, have considered and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have acted for them for many years.
Mortgage companies point to the increase in fraud by way of justification 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 claims that 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 unlikely to have any sway in the decision.
Do the conveyancing solicitors via your comparison service carry out attended exchange conveyancing in Slough?
There are a few conveyancing specialists who can conduct one day exchanges. Please call us to get a conveyancing quote and details as to availability.
Can you explain why leasehold purchase conveyancing in Slough is more expensive?
The conveyancing costs on a leasehold property in Slough is often greater when contrasted to a freehold acquisition or disposal. This is due to the extra time required in dealing with the freeholder and managing agents to collate the evidence about whether the rent and maintenance charges have been cleared and whether there are any large sums expected to be spent in the foreseeable future on repairs or maintenance of the building.
We have a mortgage agreed in principle with UBS. Slough conveyancing practitioners have been chosen. How long does it take for UBS to send the offer to the lawyer?
Some lenders take longer than others. Have UBS conducted the survey? Have you advised UBS as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the UBS conveyancing panel? Sometimes it can take as long as six weeks for a mortgage offer to be issued.
About to purchase apartment in Slough. 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 Co-operative 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 Slough conveyancing practitioner is on the Co-operative conveyancing panel.
I have instructed a Slough property lawyer having checked that they are on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?
Virgin Money will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Virgin Money will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. Your lawyer will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by your Slough postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Virgin Money, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Slough.
Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to our property can not be found. The conveyancers who handled the conveyancing in Slough 4 years ago no longer exist. What are my next steps?
As long as the title is registered the details of your ownership will be documented by HMLR under a Title Number. It is easy to conduct a search at the Land Registry, locate your house and order current copies of the Registered Entries for a small fee. If the property is Leasehold then the Land Registry will also normally retain a certified copy of the Registered Lease and again, a copy can be obtained for twenty pounds.
In my capacity as executor for the estate of my aunt I am disposing of a property in Newport but reside in Slough. My solicitor (who is 200 miles awayhas requested that I execute a stat dec ahead of completion. Could you suggest a conveyancing solicitor in Slough who can attest and place their company stamp on the document?
Technically speaking you should not need to have the documents witnessed by a conveyancing solicitor. Normally any notary public or solicitor will do regardless of whether they are Slough based