Is the fact that my conveyancer in Staines is not listed on my lender's conveyancing panel that there is a problem with the standard of the firm’s work?
That would more than likely be a wrong assumption to make. There are plenty of 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 top 5 reasons are as follows: (1) lack 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. Where you are concerned you should simply call the Staines conveyancing firm and enquire why they are no longer on the approved list for your lender.
My partner and I are spending time viewing houses in Staines and I am about to put in an offer. Is it advisable to have a property lawyer on ‘stand by’? I am planning to take a mortgage with UBS.
It would be sensible to start your search sooner rather than later. Once you decide who you want to use and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and forward their details on to the EA. As you are getting a mortgage with UBS, make sure you remember to check that your lawyer is on the UBS conveyancing panel.
I recently had an offer agreed on a house in Staines. My financial adviser pressured me to appoint their property lawyer. I paid an advanced payment of £175. A few days later, the lawyer called me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the Principality 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 Principality 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.
I am due to exchange contracts on my flat. I had a double glazing fitted in May 2008, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My purchaser’s mortgage company, RBS are being pedantic. The Staines solicitor who is on the RBS conveyancing panel is happy to accept ‘lack of building regulation’ insurance but RBS are requiring a building regulation certificate. Why do RBS have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?
It is probably the case that RBS have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why RBS may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing was correctly and safely installed. The indemnity insurance merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.
Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly picked up as part of conveyancing in Staines?
Covenants that are restrictive in nature can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the legal transfer of property in Staines. 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…’
I am buying my first flat in Staines with the aid of help to buy. The builders would not move on the price so I negotiated 6k of extras instead. The house builders rep advised me not to tell my solicitor about this deal as it will adversely affect my loan with the bank. 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.
I am looking for a ground for flat up to £235,500 and found one close by in Staines I like with open areas and transport links nearby, the downside is that it only has 61 remaining years left on the lease. There is not much else in Staines in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake buying a lease with such few years left?
Should you require a mortgage that many years may be an issue. Discount the offer by the anticipated lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the current proprietor has owned the premises for a minimum of twenty four months you can ask them to start the process of the extension and pass it to you. You can add 90 years to the current lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor concerning this matter.
I need to retain a conveyancing solicitor for sale conveyancing in Staines. I've land on a site which looks to be the ideal solution If it is possible to get all this stuff done via phone that would be ideal. Should I be concerned? What should out be looking out for?
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?