My husband and I are looking to buy a property in Towcester and have appointed a Towcester conveyancing practice. Within the last couple of days our solicitor has forwarded the sale agreement to be signed with a detailed report in anticipation of exchanging contracts shortly. Britannia have this evening contacted us to inform me that there is now an issue as our Towcester solicitor is not on their approved list of lawyers. Is this a problem?
Where you are buying a property requiring a mortgage it is normal 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 mortgage company and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own lawyers to represent them. You don't have to instruct a firm on the bank's conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own Towcester solicitors, in which case it will likely add costs, and it may delay matters as you are adding another lawyer into the mix.
We are about to sign contracts for a leasehold flat in Towcester. We have hit a problem. Our mortgage offer with Clydesdale expires on 16/12/2025 but the sellers are putting forward a completion date of 18/12/2025. Is it possible to prolong the mortgage offer?
The person best placed to deal with your concern is your solicitors who should calculate if they better off negotiating with the mortgage broker, owner’s representatives, property agents or possibly all three given what has gone on in your house move as of today.
Does a directory service exist listing Leeds Building Society panel conveyancers in Towcester on the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook Website?
Unfortunately not yet. There is no such tool on the Council of Mortgage Lenders or Building Society Association sites. A small selection of banks make their panel listings open the public on the web. Where you are in need of a Towcester property lawyer on the Leeds Building Society please use our facility.
Can I be sure that the Towcester conveyancing solicitor on the HSBC panel is any good?
When it comes to conveyancing in Towcester getting recommendations is a good 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 suggest that you speak with the solicitor handling your conveyancing.
The formalities of my purchase has taken place for my property in Towcester. Conveyancing was a necessary evil but I would like to complain about the lender. How do I make a complaint?
All lenders have complaints procedures. Your first port of call should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Care Department at head office. Ordinarily 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 who will take matters further.
Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to my house are lost. The lawyers who did the conveyancing in Towcester 10 years ago are no longer around. Will I be able to sell the house?
These day there are copies made of almost everything, and your lawyer will be aware exactly where to locate all the appropriate documentation so you can buy or dispose of your house without a hitch. Where copies are not available, your lawyer can arrange cover in the form of insurance or indemnities protecting you against possible claims on your premises.
We are a couple of weeks into a residential purchase having been directed to conveyancers by the local agent to perform conveyancing in Towcester. I am am extremely frustrated with the level of service. Can you help me find new conveyancers?
They would need to be very poor to suggest replacing them. Has the mortgage been generated? If so you must make them aware of the new contact details and get the mortgage documents are issued to the new lawyers. The conveyancer should be on the mortgage company panel to avoid escalating costs and frustration. That should be your first question of the new conveyancers. The search tool will help you find a lender approved lawyer for your home move in Towcester
I have just started marketing my garden flat in Towcester. Conveyancing lawyers have not yet been instructed, however I have just had a quarterly service charge invoice – Do I pay up?
It best that you discharge the service charge as normal given that all ground rent and service charges should be apportioned on completion, so you should recover the relevant percentage by the buyer for the period running from after the completion date to the next payment date. Most managing agents will not acknowledge the buyer until the service charges have been paid and are up to date, so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. Having a clear account will assist your cause and will leave you no worse off financially.
I own a studio flat in Towcester, conveyancing having been completed January 1997. Can you give me give me an indication of the likely cost of a lease extension? Equivalent flats in Towcester with an extended lease are worth £265,000. The ground rent is £50 invoiced annually. The lease comes to an end on 21st October 2100
With just 75 years left to run we estimate the price of your lease extension to range between £8,600 and £9,800 plus costs.
The figure above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure in the absence of detailed investigations. You should not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be other issues that need to be taken into account and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not take any other action based on this information before getting professional advice.