I am expecting a mortgage offer from Lloyds. I intend to employ the services of a Licensed Conveyancer in Sunderland. Does the Lloyds Conveyancing panel include Licensed Conveyancers?
The Lloyds approved solicitor list is, like many other lenders, associated to the CML or Building Society Association, open to Licensed Conveyancers regulated by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.
I had intended to instruct a property lawyer in Sunderland for our home move. Our financial adviser has since advised us that our bank Alliance & Leicester won't deal with them. Surely this is unfair competition?
Banks in the main imposes restrictions either the type or the amount of conveyancing practices on their approved list of lawyers. Typical examples of such criteria being that a law practice must have two or more partners. In addition to restricting the profile of firm, some have limited the amount of solicitor practices they permit to act for them. Be aware that Alliance & Leicester have no responsibility for the quality of advice provided by any member of Alliance & Leicester Conveyancer Panel. Mortgage fraud was a primary driver in the rationalisation of conveyancing panels a few years ago even though there are mixed views about the level of solicitor engagement in some of that fraud. Figures from the Land Registry reveal that plenty of law firms, including some in or near Sunderland only carry out a couple conveyances per annum.
A relative advised me that in purchasing a property in Sunderland there may be various restrictions as to what one can do in terms of external changes to the property. Is this right?
There are a number of properties in Sunderland which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to perform external alterations. Part of the conveyancing in Sunderland should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.
is it true that all Sunderland solicitor practices on the UBS conveyancing panel are regulated by the SRA?
As a firm of solicitors, in order to be on the UBS conveyancing panel they would need to be overseen by the SRA. Some banks do allow licenced conveyancers on their panel in which case such firms would be overseen by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.
We had instructed solicitors located in Sunderland on the RBS solicitor approved list. They have just billed me a supplemental charge for the legal aspects of the RBS mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee specified by RBS?
As unfair as it may seem, as long as it’s in their Terms and Conditions or Quote then yes your property lawyer is entitled to levy a fee for this. The fee is not set by RBS but by your Sunderland property lawyer. Plenty of firms on the RBS panel will levy ’dealing with mortgage’ fee and others do not.
Me and my brother own a semi-detached Georgian house in Sunderland. Conveyancing solicitor represented me and Britannia. I did a free Land Registry search last week and I saw a couple of entries: one for freehold, the second leasehold with the matching property. Is it worth asking Britannia to clarify?
You need to read the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for 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 Sunderland 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 purchasers. You can also question the situation with your conveyancing practitioner who conducted the conveyancing.
I am looking for a flat up to £245,000 and found one close by in Sunderland I like with a park and station in the vicinity, however it's only got 52 remaining years left on the lease. There is not much else in Sunderland in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake purchasing a short lease?
If you need a mortgage that many years will be a potential deal breaker. Reduce the price by the anticipated lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing owner has owned the premises for at least 2 years you may ask them to start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the existing lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing solicitor concerning this.
My partner has suggested that I instruct his conveyancing solicitors in Sunderland. Should I choose my own property lawyer?
There are no two ways about it the best way to select a conveyancing practitioner is to seek guidance from friends or family who have actually experience in using the firm that you are are thinking of instructing.