My husband and I are hoping to purchase a flat in The Meadows and have instructed a The Meadows conveyancing firm. Within the last couple of days our property lawyer has sent a preliminary report and documents to look through with the expectation that exchange is imminent. Britannia have this morning contacted us to advise us that they have now hit a problem as our The Meadows conveyancer is not on their approved list of lawyers. Is this a problem?
When purchasing a property with the benefit of a mortgage it is conventional for the purchasers' solicitors to also represent the mortgage company. In order to act for a bank or building society a law firm has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the law firm to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the firm has to satisfy and indeed some lenders now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme. Your property lawyer should contact your bank and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own solicitors to act. You don't have to instruct a firm on the lender’s conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own The Meadows solicitors, in which case it will likely add costs, and it will likely delay the transaction as you are adding another lawyer into the mix.
Can I be sure that the The Meadows conveyancing solicitor on the Coventry BS panel is any good?
When it comes to conveyancing in The Meadows getting recommendations is a sensible starting point. Before you go ahead, check if they offer a no sale no fee offer. Also, you often get what you pay for - a firm which quotes more, will often provide a better service than one which is cheap as chips. We would always recommend that you speak with the solicitor carrying out your conveyancing.
I have paid off my mortgage with Lloyds. I assume I don't need a The Meadows solicitor on the Lloyds panel to discharge the mortgage at the Land Registry. Please confirm.
If you have finished paying off your Lloyds mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the Lloyds mortgage from the register. Lloyds, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:
- but are not moving to another property
- where Lloyds has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
- Lloyds has instructed the Land Registry to do so
I had an offer accepted on an apartment in The Meadows on 30/9/2024, valuation was booked 4 days later, all came back fine. Property lawyer instructed, so the only thing outstanding was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to Kent Reliance and chasing them on my offer, I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel. Can the lender hold off the offer?
A lender would not issue a mortgage until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Kent Reliance to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.
I moved into my house on 4 January and my personal details is yet to be registered. Any reason for this? My conveyancing solicitor in The Meadows advises it will be concluded inside ten days. Are properties in The Meadows particularly slow to register?
There is nothing unique about conveyancing in The Meadows registration formalities. As opposed to being determined by geographic area, timeframes can vary subject to who lodges the application, whether it is in order and if the Land registry must send notices to any 3rd parties. Currently approximately three quarters of submission are completed within 12 days but occasionally there can be longer hold-ups. Historically registration occurs once the buyer has moved in to the premises thus 'speed' is not typically top priority but where it is urgent that the the registration takes place urgently then you or your lawyers can communicate with the Registry to express the reasoning for an expedited registration.
Due to the encouragement of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a property in The Meadows before appointing solicitors. I have been told that there is a flying freehold overhang to the house. My surveyor has said that some lenders tend not grant a loan on such a premises.
It varies from the lender to lender. Lloyds has different requirements from Nationwide. Should you wish to telephone us we can check via the appropriate lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in The Meadows. Conveyancing may be slightly more expensive based on your lender's requirements.
I am 18 days into a leasehold purchase having been recommend to a firm by the local agent to do our conveyancing in The Meadows. I am am starting to be disappointed with the quality of service. Can you help me find new conveyancers?
A conveyancer would need to be really bad to suggest diss instructing them. Has your loan offer been issued? In the event that it has you need to advise them of the new contact details and ensure the offer are issued to the new lawyers. The conveyancer needs to be on the banks approved list to avoid escalating charges and delays. That should be your starting point. Our search tool can help you find a lender approved conveyancer for your conveyancing in The Meadows
We have had DIP from Platform Home Loans Ltd who said we could borrow up to £117k. At what point do we need to instruct a lawyer for conveyancing? The Meadows is where we plan to move to.
It would be wise to instruct a conveyancing practitioner now requesting that they create a file on your behalf. This will facilitate: 1) the selling agent to send out the Sales Memo to the relevant parties 2) the seller’s property lawyer to submit the draft contract. However, do not instruct your conveyancer to start searches until you receive your valuation report from Platform Home Loans Ltd and you are willing to move forward.