We see that you have a search directory identifying law firms on the Co-operative conveyancing panel. Do firms pay you a commission if I appoint them for our own conveyancing in St Fagans?
We are a listing service only for law firms wishing to communicate if they are on the Co-operative conveyancing panel or other lender panels. We do not charge referral fees to any conveyancer that you subsequently appoint for your conveyancing in St Fagans.
When looking at mumsnet.com for a recommended lawyer in St Fagans, many advise that I must look for a CQS assured lawyer. Can you explain what CQS is?
St Fagans Conveyancing Quality Scheme law firms have achieved certification by the law Society CQS was brought about to promote high standards in the in the legal transfer of properties. CQS enables consumers to identify solicitor firms who provide a quality residential conveyancing. St Fagans is one of the many areas in England and Wales in which accredited firms have offices. The conveyancing scheme obliges solicitors to undergo a strict assessment, compulsory training, self-certification, spot checks and yearly assessments in order to maintain CQS status. It is available to solicitors and not licensed conveyancers and has the support of the Council of Mortgage Lenders.
I am being advised by my solicitor that restrictive coveneant insurance is necessary on my purchase. What is the typical level of cover needed for conveyancing in St Fagans?
The right level of restrictive coveneant indemnity insurance should be dictated by who your lender. It would differ for example between Birmingham Midshires and Skipton Building Society. Conveyancing practitioners as opposed to borrowers take out such policies.
We have a mortgage agreed in principle with Lloyds. St Fagans conveyancing lawyers have been appointed. How long does it take for Lloyds to issue the offer to the solicitor?
Some lenders take longer than others. Have Lloyds done the valuation? Have you advised Lloyds as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the Lloyds conveyancing panel? It is not unusual for a mortgage offer to take a month to come through.
I have today made my last payment due on my mortgage with Barclays. I assume I don't need a St Fagans solicitor on the Barclays panel to remove the mortgage at the Land Registry. Please confirm.
If you have finished paying off your Barclays 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 Barclays mortgage from the register. Barclays, 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 Barclays has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
- Barclays has instructed the Land Registry to do so
I have been told that property searches are the primary cause of delay in St Fagans conveyancing transactions. Is that correct?
The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) has noted the conclusions of a review by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not figure amongst the top 10 causes of hindrances in the conveyancing process. Local searches are unlikely to feature in any slowing down conveyancing in St Fagans.
Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to my home can not be found. The lawyers who dealt with the conveyancing in St Fagans 10 years ago no longer exist. What do I do?
These day there are copies made of almost everything, and your conveyancer will know exactly where to look for all the relevant paperwork so you may purchase or sell your property without a hitch. Where copies are not available, your conveyancer may be able to put in place insurance or indemnities against possible claims on the property.
How does conveyancing in St Fagans differ for newly converted properties?
Most buyers of new build residence in St Fagans contact us having been asked by the housebuilder to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the premises is ready to move into. This is because house builders in St Fagans usually purchase 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 property lawyers 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 St Fagans or who has acted in the same development.