I am progressing with the sale of my maisonette in Sunbury On Thames and the estate agent has just text me to advise that the buyers are swapping solicitor. I am told that this is due to the fact that the mortgage company will only engage with property lawyers on their conveyancing panel. Why would a major mortgage company only deal with specific law firms rather the firm that they want to appoint for their conveyancing in Sunbury On Thames ?
Banks have always had an approved set of law firms that can represent them, but in recent years big names such as Santander, have considered and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have worked with them for more than 15 years.
Mortgage companies attribute this action to a rise in fraud as the reason for the pruning – criteria have been tightened as a smaller panel is easier to monitor. Banks tend not to reveal how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society claims that it is hearing daily from firms that have been removed from panels. Some do not even realise they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyers' case. Your buyers are not going to have any impact on this.
I have given 2 months notice to my current landlord and must vacate my let out property in Sunbury On Thames by 16/5/2025. Conveyancing for my house purchase has just started. How realistic is it to complete in three weeks as don't want to have to move into short term accommodation?
Generally one should not give notice on a rental until you have exchanged. If you have not already done so, notify to your solicitor and request that they apply pressure on the owners solicitors, try to an acceptable time-line that all parties will look to achieve
We wanted to use a property lawyer in Sunbury On Thames for our house purchase. Our broker has since advised us that our mortgage lenders Clydesdale won't deal with them. Surely this is unfair competition?
A mortgage company can insist on an approved solicitor act for it. Borrowers are liable to bear the cost of this. Do use our search facility to locate a solicitor to conduct conveyancing in Sunbury On Thames on the Clydesdale approved list of solicitors.
My friend advised me that where I am buying in Sunbury On Thames I should ask my conveyancer to carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. What does it cover?
This is a search is occasionally quoted for as part of the standard Sunbury On Thames conveyancing searches. It is a large document of about 40 pages, listing and detailing important information about Sunbury On Thames around the property and the people living there. It includes an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the Sunbury On Thames Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the demographics of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average Property Price, Crime details, Local Education with plans and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data about Sunbury On Thames.
Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly identified as part of conveyancing in Sunbury On Thames?
Covenants that are restrictive in nature can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the legal transfer of property in Sunbury On Thames. 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…’
Due to the guidance of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a property in Sunbury On Thames before retaining conveyancers. I have been informed that there is a flying freehold aspect to the house. Our surveyor advised that some lenders tend refuse to issue a mortgage on such a home.
It depends who your proposed lender is. Bank of Scotland has different instructions from Halifax. Should you wish to call us we can check via the relevant lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Sunbury On Thames. Conveyancing will be smoother if you use a solicitor in Sunbury On Thames especially if they are acquainted with such properties in Sunbury On Thames.