Some advice if I may. My St Paul's Cray lawyer is assuring me that he is legally obliged toconduct St Paul's Cray conveyancing searches asthe firm are on the Virgin Moneyapproved lawyer panel. Is my lawyer correct?
Unfortunately both you and your lawyer have little choice here. Given that you are taking out a loan with a bank your conveyancer has to comply with their conditions as set out in their version of the CML Conveyancing Handbook. Your conveyancer would have previously signed the Terms and Conditions of your lender’s conveyancing panel appointment which obliges them to follow the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook provisions . Even if you were a cash buyer you would be ill advised not to carry out St Paul's Cray conveyancing searches.
Should lawyers request an advanced payment for my conveyancing in St Paul's Cray?
If you are buying a property in St Paul's Cray your lawyer will request that you to provide them with monies to cover the search fees. This will be the total of the cost of the conveyancing searches. If any deposit is payable against the purchase price then this should be needed immediately prior to contracts are exchanged. Any further balance that is due will be payable shortly before completion.
I am helping my step-mother sell her house in St Paul's Cray. Does the conveyancer arrange the energy assessment or should I organise this?
Following the demise of Home Information Packs, energy assessments became a required component of selling a property. An energy performance certificate must be commissioned in advance of the property being advertised. It is not a task that law firms normally organise. Where you are instructing a St Paul's Cray conveyancing solicitor they might help arrange energy performance certificates due to their relationships with long established St Paul's Cray accredited person
How can we know in advance if a St Paul's Cray conveyancing solicitor on the Santander panel is any good?
When it comes to conveyancing in St Paul's Cray getting recommendations is a good start. Before you go ahead, check if they offer a no sale no fee offer. Also, you often get what you pay for - a firm which quotes more, will often provide a better service than one advertising the lowest fees. We would always advise that you speak with the lawyer handling your transaction.
The formalities of my purchase has taken place for my property in St Paul's Cray. Conveyancing was satisfactory but I would like to complain about the lender. How do I make a complaint?
Most lenders have complaints procedures. Your first point of contact should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Care Department at head office. In most cases complaints to a lender are resolved effectively and efficiently. If you feel the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service, South Quay Plaza, 183 Marsh Wall, London E14 9SR who will take matters further.
I purchased a terraced Edwardian house in St Paul's Cray. Conveyancing solicitor acted for me and TSB. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and I saw two entries: one for freehold, another for leasehold with the exact same address. I'd like to know for sure, how can I find out??
You should read the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register as there may be mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in St Paul's Cray and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they remortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with buyers. You can also enquire as to the situation with your conveyancing lawyer who carried out the work.
I'm purchasing a new build house in St Paul's Cray with a mortgage from Skipton Building Society. The builders would not budge the amount so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of extras instead. The property agent suggested that I not to tell my solicitor about the deal as it may impact my mortgage with Skipton Building Society. Is this normal?.
All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the builder of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.
Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.
Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.
Are there any apps to assist me to identify a St Paul's Cray law firm on the The Royal Bank of Scotland conveyancing panel? I have wheels and am prepared to travel upto 25kilometers to meet the conveyancer.
You can use the tool on this website. Please pick a bank and your location and you will see a number of St Paul's Cray conveyancing lawyers locally. We have listed some St Paul's Cray conveyancing firms at the bottom of this page and you can call them to verify if they are on the The Royal Bank of Scotland member panel