I am six weeks into the sale of my ground floor flat in Small Heath and the EA has just e-mailed to warn that the buyers are swapping conveyancer. I am told that this is due to the fact that the lender will only engage with property lawyers on their approved list. Why would a big named lender only work with specific lawyers rather the firm that they want to select for their conveyancing in Small Heath ?
Mortgage companies have always had panels of law firms they are willing to work with, but in the past few years big names such as HSBC, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have worked with them for decades.
Banks attribute this action to a rise in fraud by way of justification for the pruning – criteria have been tightened as a smaller panel is easier to maintain. Banks tend not to reveal how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society says it is being contacted daily by practices that have been removed from panels. Some are unaware that they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyers' case. The buyers are not going to have any impact on this.
I am helping my mother sell her house in Small Heath. Does the conveyancing solicitor order the EPC or it is for me to coordinate?
Following the demise of Home Packs, EPC’s was retained a compulsory element of selling a property. An EPC must be to hand prior to the property being advertised. This is not a task that lawyers ordinarily arrange. If you are instructing a Small Heath conveyancing practitioner they might help arrange energy performance certificates due to their contacts with long established Small Heath assessors
I recently had an offer accepted on a house in Small Heath. My mortgage broker recommended their conveyancers. I paid an advanced payment of £200. Not long after, the conveyancer called me embarrassingly acknowledging that they were not on the Virgin Money 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 Virgin Money 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.
After what feels like an age I have had an offer on an apartment in Small Heath accepted, but there is a chain. The sellers have offered on a flat, however it’s not yet agreed to, and have viewings of other properties booked. I have chosen a local conveyancing solicitor in Small Heath. What do I do now? When do I get the mortgage application with Barclays started?
It is understandable to have anxieties where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to incur expenses prematurely (mortgage application is in the region of one thousand pounds, then survey, Small Heath conveyancing search costs, etc). The first course of action is to check that your solicitor is on the Barclays conveyancing panel. Concerning the subsequent stages this very much dictated by the circumstances of your case, desire for the property and on the state of the market. During a buoyant market many home buyers would apply for the mortgage with Barclays and arrange for the valuation and only if it comes back ok would they pay their solicitor to press on with searches.
I completed on my flat on 16 November and my personal details is yet to be on the land registry website. Should I be concerned? My conveyancing solicitor in Small Heath said it should be concluded in a couple of weeks. Are transfers in Small Heath particularly slow to register?
As far as conveyancing in Small Heath is concerned, registration is no quicker or slower than anywhere else in England and Wales. Rather than based on location, timescales can vary subject to the party submitting the application, whether it is in order and if the Land registry have to notify any interested persons or bodies. Currently roughly 80% of such applications are completed within 12 days but some can be subject to extensive delays. Registration occurs once the new owner has moved in to the premises therefore an expedited registration is not typically top priority but where there is a degree of urgency associated with the registration then you or your solicitor can speak with the land registry and explain the circumstances.
How does conveyancing in Small Heath differ for newly converted properties?
Most buyers of new build premises in Small Heath contact us having been asked by the housebuilder to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the residence is finished. This is because developers in Small Heath usually buy the site, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct conveyancers as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are accustomed to new build conveyancing in Small Heath or who has acted in the same development.
Given that I will soon part with 450k on 3 bedroom house in Small Heath I would like to have a conversation with the lawyer about myconveyancing in advance of appointing the firm. Is this something that you can arrange?
Absolutely - it is our preference to talk to you we do not take any clients on without you first talking to the conveyancer due to be conducting your conveyancing in Small Heath.There is no ‘factory style conveyancing’ - every client is unique person, not a matter reference. The practices that we put you in touch with believe that the figure you are quoted for residential conveyancing in Small Heath should be the figure that you end up paying.
I need to instruct a conveyancing solicitor for freehold conveyancing in Small Heath. I have land on a site which seems to have the ideal answer If it is possible to get all the legals completed via phone that would be preferable. Should I be concerned? What are the potential pitfalls?
As usual with these online conveyancers you need to read ALL the small print - did you notice the extra charge for dealing with the mortgage?