Am I correct in assuming that the fact that my conveyancer in Southmead is not listed on my bank's conveyancing panel that there is a problem with the quality of her conveyancing?
It would not be wise to jump to that conclusion. There are all sorts of perfectly plausible explanations. Just recently a report by the solicitors regulator indicated that over three quarters of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The most common reasons for removal are: (1) low volume of transactions (2) the solicitor is a sole practitioner (3) as part of the HSBC panel reduction (4) regulatory contact by SRA (5) accidental removal. If you are concerned you should contact the Southmead conveyancing firm and enquire why they are no longer on the approved list for your bank.
I have today made my last payment due on my mortgage with Coventry BS. I assume I don't need a Southmead conveyancing practitioner on the Coventry BS panel to remove the mortgage at the Land Registry. Am I right?
If you have finished paying off your Coventry BS mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the Coventry BS mortgage from the register. Coventry BS, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:
- but are not moving to another property
- where Coventry BS has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
- Coventry BS has instructed the Land Registry to do so
It is not clear whether my lender requires a lease extension. I have called into my local Southmead bank branch on numerous occasions and was told it wasn't a problem and they would lend. My Southmead conveyancing solicitor - who is on the mortgage company conveyancing panel- called and was told they would not lend based on their UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook minimum lease term requirements. I have no idea who is right.
The conveyancer has to comply with the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook section two conditions for your lender. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that the lender 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 lender to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the number of years left on the lease.
After much negotiation I have agreed a price on an apartment in Southmead. My mortgage broker recommended their conveyancers. I paid an upfront payment of £225. Soon after, the conveyancer contacted me embarrassingly acknowledging that they were not on the RBS 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 RBS 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.
Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly picked up during conveyancing in Southmead?
Covenants that are restrictive in nature can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the legal transfer of property in Southmead. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’
Just had an offer accepted on a new build flat in Southmead. Conveyancing is a frightening process at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. What sort of enquires would be asked in new build legal work.
Set out below are examples of a few leasehold new build questions that you can expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Southmead
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Please supply evidence that the form of Lease proposed has been approved by the Land Registry. Please confirm the Lease plans are surveyor prepared. Please supply a car parking plan. Forfeiture - bankruptcy or liquidation must not apply under this provision.
Do I need to be wary about 3rd parties that I am dealing with are encouraging me to use an internet conveyancing firm rather than a local Southmead conveyancing company?
As with lots of service providers, often input from connections can be worth their weight in gold. But there are many players in a conveyancing matter; estate agents, financial adviser and banks may put forward lawyers to retain. Sometimes these lawyers might be known to one of the organisations as one of the best in their field, but occasionally there is an underlying commercial relationship behind the recommendation. You are free to appoint your preferred conveyancer. You need to be aware that many lenders operate an approved list of lawyers you have to use for the lender related work in your transaction.
I need to retain a conveyancing solicitor for purchase conveyancing in Southmead. I happened to land on a site which appears to be the ideal solution If it is possible to get all this stuff done via phone that would be ideal. Do I need to 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?