Am I correct in assuming that the fact that my conveyancer in St Columb is not on my bank's solicitor panel that there is a problem with the standard of his work?
That is most likely a wrong assumption to make. There are all sorts of perfectly reasonable explanations. Just recently a report by the solicitors regulator revealed 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) lack of transactions (2) the lawyer is a sole practitioner (3) as part of the HSBC panel reduction (4) regulatory contact by SRA (5) accidental removal. Where you are concerned you should contact the St Columb conveyancing firm and ask them why they are no longer on the approved list for your lender.
My wife and I are due to exchange on the purchase of a property in St Columb but as a result of wreckage from the recent storms I have managed to agree recompense from the vendor of £2k taking the form of a deduction in the price. This was going to be dealt with as part of amending the contract however Virgin Money will not permit this. Why were they approached?
Any conveyancing practitioner being on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel is obliged to advise Virgin Money of any amendments to the purchase price. If you were to refuse your solicitor to notify the reduction to Virgin Money then they would have to discontinue acting for you. In addition, Virgin Money and you would have to appoint a new property lawyer for your conveyancing in St Columb.
We wanted to use a conveyancing solicitor in St Columb for our home move. Our broker informed us that our mortgage company Halifax won't deal with them. Why is this not regarded as unduly restrictive?
Mortgage Companies ordinarily imposes restrictions either the type or the number of conveyancing solicitors on their approved list of lawyers. A common example of such criteria being that a law practice must not be a sole practitioner. As well as restricting the profile of firm, some have reduced the number of firms they use to act for them. You should note that Halifax have no responsibility for the quality of advice provided by any member of Halifax Conveyancer Panel. Mortgage fraud was a key driver in the reduction of conveyancing panels a few years ago even though there remains mixed opinions regarding the level of solicitor engagement in some of that fraud. Data from the Land Registry reveal that plenty of law firms, including some in or near St Columb only conduct one or two conveyances per annum.
I used Stirling Law several years ago for my conveyancing in St Columb. Now, I need my documents however the law firm has closed. What do I do?
Do contact the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to assist in tracking down your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in St Columb of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously hired, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.
Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold element on a property I put an offer in a fortnight ago in what should have been a straight forward, chain free conveyancing. St Columb is where the house is located. Is there any advice you can give?
Flying freeholds in St Columb are rare but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside St Columb you would need to get your solicitor to go through the deeds thoroughly. Your lender may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in St Columb may determine that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold premises.
We have just had a bid accepted on our first house in St Columb, and need to get solicitors appointed. I have utilised the numerous rating tools and the quotes are from all over the England and Wales. Is it essential to have a St Columb conveyancer local to your potential new home? We are content to do all the communicating over email, but I am thinking at some point we will be required to visit the solicitor's office to sign papers?
The solicitor does not have to be in St Columb, but opting for local means that you can go in if you need to, for instance, if a signature is immediately necessary. In addition, a St Columb solicitor have established relationships with local agents and (if the vendor has instructed a local conveyancing practitioner) with them, which will help keep things moving faster.