We are purchasing a 1 bedroom apartment in Swanscombe with a mortgage. We have a Swanscombe lawyer, however the bank says he's not on their "panel". It appears that we have no option but to use one of the lender panel conveyancing practices or continue with our Swanscombe conveyancing practitioner and pay for one of their panel ones to act for them. We regard this is inequitable; is there anything we can do?
No, not really. The mortgage offered to you is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the bank’s conveyancing panel. Until recently, most lenders 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 Swanscombe conveyancing lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.
We see that you have a search directory listing solicitors on the Nationwide conveyancing panel. Do firms pay you a referral fee if I instruct them for our own conveyancing in Swanscombe?
We are a listing service only for law firms wishing to communicate if they are on the Nationwide conveyancing panel or other lender panels. We do not charge referral fees to any conveyancer that you subsequently appoint for your conveyancing in Swanscombe.
The deeds to my property are lost. The solicitors who handled the conveyancing in Swanscombe 10 years ago have long since closed. What are my next steps?
Assuming the title is registered the details of your proprietorship will be recorded by the Land Registry under a Title Number. It is possible to perform a search at the Land Registry, identify your property and get current copies of the Registered Entries for less than a fiver. If the title is Leasehold then the Land Registry will in most cases hold a certified duplicate of the Registered Lease and again, a copy can be retrieved for twenty pounds.
How does conveyancing in Swanscombe differ for new build properties?
Most buyers of new build property in Swanscombe contact us having been asked by the seller to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the house is ready to move into. This is because builders in Swanscombe usually purchase the real estate, 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 conveyancers 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 used to new build conveyancing in Swanscombe or who has acted in the same development.
I opted to have a survey carried out on a property in Swanscombe in advance of appointing solicitors. I have been advised that there is a flying freehold aspect to the house. The surveyor advised that some mortgage companies may not grant a mortgage on a flying freehold property.
It depends who your proposed lender is. HSBC has different requirements from Nationwide. If you contact us we can investigate further with the appropriate lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Swanscombe. Conveyancing can be more complicated and therefore you should check with your conveyancing solicitor in Swanscombe to see if the conveyancing costs will increase in light of this.
Is it possible to swap conveyancer as I need to select a firm on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel. I was using a family conveyancing solicitor in Swanscombe five minutes from me but the firm is not approved by Bank of Ireland
It would be our pleasure to help you find a conveyancing solicitor in Swanscombe on the Bank of Ireland panel. Please note that the conveyancers that we work with do not pay us fee if you instruct them and are under regulation of the SRA who oversee all conveyancing solicitors in Swanscombe. In making use of search facility on this website, you can compare and instruct different solicitors and conveyancers both nationally and in Swanscombe.