We are buying a 3 bedroom flat in St Nicholas with a mortgage. We wish to retain our St Nicholas lawyer, but the mortgage company advise she’s not on their "panel". It appears that we have no choice but to instruct one of the mortgage company panel firms or keep our St Nicholas conveyancing practitioner and pay for one of their panel lawyers to act for them. This feels very unfair; are we not able to demand that the mortgage company use our St Nicholas conveyancer ?
Unfortunately,no. Your mortgage offer is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the lender’s conveyancing panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. A further alternative is for your St Nicholas conveyancing lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.
I have been told that property searches are the main cause of hinderance in St Nicholas conveyancing transactions. Is there any truth in this?
The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) published conclusions of research by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not feature within the top 10 causes of hindrances during the legal transfer of property. Searches are unlikely to be the root cause of delay in conveyancing in St Nicholas.
I used Arc property Solicitors several years ago for my conveyancing in St Nicholas. I now require my file but cannot find the solicitor. What do I do?
You should call the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to help locate 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 Nicholas of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously used, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.
I'm remortgaging my existing home to a buy to let loan with Godiva Mortgages Ltd and intend to use the remaining equity towards a second property. The neighborhood we are interested in is St Nicholas. Will your solicitors be able to act for both sets of banks and tie in the transactions?
Do use our search tool on this site to check that the conveyancers are approved by both lenders. On the basis that they are the solicitor will be able to simultaneously deal with the two deals but you should have a chat with you lawyer and make apparent your desired outcome and requirements.
Is it best to go with a St Nicholas conveyancing practitioner based in the area that I am buying? I have an old university friend who can deal with the conveyancing however her office is 300miles away.
The benefit of a high street St Nicholas conveyancing practice is that you can attend the office to execute paperwork, deliver your identification documents and apply pressure on them if necessary. Having local St Nicholas know how is a bonus. However nothing is more important than finding someone that will do a good and efficient job. If you know people who instructed your friend and on the whole were impressed that should trump using an unknown St Nicholas conveyancing solicitor solely due to them being based in the area.
My financial adviser has recommended their property lawyer for the conveyancing in St Nicholas - won’t it be easier to just instruct them?
It is not always the case and you are free to instruct whichever property lawyer of your choosing for your St Nicholas home move. A solicitor recommended by a 3rd party adviser may not necessarily be the best conveyancer, they may recommend their own conveyancing firm who are based remotely. In this instance you may not have contact with your property lawyer and due to the lack of continuity in the transaction, it may be difficult to obtain progress reports.