I was informed recently by my IFA that my Surbiton lawyer is not on the lender Solicitor panel. How can I check?
Your first step should be to contact your Surbiton conveyancer. You lawyer should advise you of the situation. Where they are not on the panel they could put your in touch with solicitors on the approved list of lawyers for your lender.
My husband and I decided to purchase a 2 bedroom apartment in Surbiton with a mortgage from Britannia.We would like to retain our Surbiton conveyancing practitioner but Britannia informed us she’s not on their "panel". We have to appoint a Britannia panel solicitor or keep our local solicitor and pay for a Britannia panel lawyer to act for them. We feel as though this is unjust; is there anything we can do?
Unfortunately,no. The home loan issued to you is subject to its various provisions, a common one being that solicitors needs to be on the Britannia approved list. in the past, most mortgage companies 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 solicitors to apply to be on the conveyancing panel for Britannia
Various internet forums that I have frequented warn that are the primary cause of hinderance in Surbiton conveyancing transactions. Is this right?
The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) has noted the findings of a review by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not feature within the common causes of delays during the legal transfer of property. Local searches are unlikely to feature in any delay in conveyancing in Surbiton.
I used Wolstenholmes a few years ago for my conveyancing in Surbiton. Now, I need the files however the law firm is no longer operating. What do I do?
You should contact 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 Surbiton of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously instructed, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.
How does conveyancing in Surbiton differ for newly converted properties?
Most buyers of new build or newly converted property in Surbiton approach us having been asked by the housebuilder to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the house is built. This is because builders in Surbiton tend to purchase the land, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct property lawyers as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are accustomed to new build conveyancing in Surbiton or who has acted in the same development.
I opted to have a survey done on a property in Surbiton before instructing solicitors. I have been told that there is a flying freehold overhang to the property. The surveyor advised that some banks may refuse to grant a mortgage on this type of home.
It depends who your proposed lender is. HSBC has different requirements from Nationwide. Should you wish to telephone us we can investigate further with the relevant lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Surbiton. Conveyancing may be slightly more expensive based on your lender's requirements.