My fiance and I are planning to acquire a flat in Thornbury and are in fact using a Thornbury conveyancing firm. Within the past 48 hours our solicitor has forwarded the sale agreement to be signed with a detailed report in anticipation of exchanging contracts shortly. Bank of Ireland have this morning contacted us to inform me that they have now hit a problem as our Thornbury conveyancer is not on their approved list of lawyers. Please explain?
Where you are buying a property needing a mortgage it is conventional for the purchasers' solicitors to also represent the purchaser's lender. 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 Accreditation Scheme. Your solicitor 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 bank's conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own Thornbury solicitors, in which case it will likely add costs, and it may delay matters as you have another set of people involved.
IfI were to buy a straightforward housein Thornbury for cash and have no survey and no conveyancing searches how much would I expect to to save on my conveyancing in Thornbury?
Any savings you would gain will be limited to the costs for searches. The conveyancing practitioner still be obliged to do everything else - money laundering, correspond with the sellers property lawyer, SDLT submission, register the title etc. A marginal saving might be made by not having to register a charge however it won't be significant.
I am aiming to move house in December. Does my conveyancing solicitor liaise with the removal company on the day of completion. Incidentally, can you recommend a removal company in Thornbury. Conveyancing firm was organised before I stumbled across your website.
On the afternoon of completion you will need to pick up the keys from the estate agent however this should only occur once the sellers conveyancers advise the agent that they have the completion monies and the keys can be given over. After that you will need to advise the removal men that you are ready to move in. As a matter of policy we do not suggest a particular removal organisation but can help you locate a conveyancing in Thornbury or a firm with expertise in conveyancing in Thornbury.
Does a directory service exist listing Nationwide panel conveyancers in Thornbury on the Building Society Association’s Website?
Unfortunately not yet. There is no such directory service on the Council of Mortgage Lenders or Building Society Association websites. A small selection of lenders make their panel listings open the public online. Where you are in need of a Thornbury solicitor on the Nationwide please use our tool.
The formalities of my purchase has taken place for my property in Thornbury. Conveyancing was a necessary evil but I would like to complain about the lender. How does one go about formally complaining?
All lenders have complaints procedures. Your first point of contact should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Services Department at head office. In most cases complaints to a lender are sorted out effectively and efficiently. If you feel the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service, South Quay Plaza, 183 Marsh Wall, London E14 9SR who will take matters further.
Various online forums that I have frequented warn that are a common reason for delay in Thornbury conveyancing transactions. Is this right?
The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) released conclusions of research by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not feature within the most frequent causes of hindrances in the conveyancing process. Local searches are unlikely to feature in any delay in conveyancing in Thornbury.
How does conveyancing in Thornbury differ for new build properties?
Most buyers of new build property in Thornbury contact us having been asked by the developer to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the property is ready to move into. This is because new home sellers in Thornbury typically acquire 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 conveyancing solicitors 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 Thornbury or who has acted in the same development.
There are only Fifty years remaining on my lease in Thornbury. I am keen to extend my lease but my freeholder is can not be found. What options are available to me?
If you qualify, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can submit an application to the County Court for an order to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will enable the lease to be granted an extra 90 years by the magistrate. However, you will be required to prove that you have done all that could be expected to track down the freeholder. In some cases a specialist would be helpful to carry out a search and to produce an expert document to be used as evidence that the landlord is indeed missing. It is wise to seek advice from a property lawyer both on proving the landlord’s disappearance and the application to the County Court covering Thornbury.
Thornbury Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Sample of Questions you should ask Prior to Purchasing
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How much is the ground rent and service charge? Is there a share of the freehold?