It has come to my attention via my estate agent that my Upper Clapton solicitor is not on the mortgage company Conveyancing panel. What can I do to be certain if this is indeed the case?
The sensible course of action for you to take is to call your Upper Clapton conveyancer. You lawyer should inform you what has happened. If they are not on the panel they could put your in touch with solicitors on the approved list of lawyers for your bank.
We are purchasing a flat and need a conveyancing solicitor in Upper Clapton who is on the HSBC solicitor panel. Can you recommend a local firm?
Our service is limited to being a directory service for firms who wish to be listed as being on the approved conveyancing panel for HSBC . We don't recommend any particular firms conducting conveyancing in Upper Clapton.
Me and my partner are purchasing a apartment in Upper Clapton. I might seem paranoid but how we can trust a lawyer? On completion day we will need to deposit our life savings into their account. What protection do we have from them run away with our money?
Be assured that all money in a Solicitors client account is 100% safe, and even if your Solicitor ran off with it, the Law Society would reimburse you fully.
The formalities of my remortgage has taken place for my property in Upper Clapton. Conveyancing was a necessary evil but I would like to complain about the lender. How do I make a complaint?
Almost all banks and building societies have complaints procedures. Your first port of call 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 with full details of your complaint.
I recently had an offer accepted on an apartment in Upper Clapton. My financial adviser suggested a lawyer. I paid an upfront payment of £225. Not long after, the conveyancing practitioner called me embarrassingly acknowledging that they were not on the Coventry BS conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?
You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Coventry BS panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.
I purchased a semi-detached Edwardian house in Upper Clapton. Conveyancing practitioner represented me and Barnsley Building Society. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and there are two entries: one for freehold, another for leasehold with the matching property. I thought I was buying a freehold how can I check?
You need to assess the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Upper Clapton and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they mortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with buyers. You can also question the position with the conveyancing practitioner who conducted the work.
How does conveyancing in Upper Clapton differ for new build properties?
Most buyers of new build premises in Upper Clapton approach us having been asked by the developer to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the premises is constructed. This is because new home sellers in Upper Clapton usually acquire the site, 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 used to new build conveyancing in Upper Clapton or who has acted in the same development.
Am I right to be wary about 3rd parties that I am dealing with are suggesting a national conveyancing firm rather than a local Upper Clapton conveyancing firm?
As is the case with many service providers, often suggestions from family and friends can be very helpful. Yet there are lots of parties with a vested interest in a conveyancing matter; estate agents, financial adviser and banks might all recommend solicitors to appoint. Sometimes the conveyancers might be known to one of the organisations as being good in their field, but sometimes there is an underlying commercial relationship behind the recommendation. You are free to choose your own conveyancer. Don't forget that many lenders have an approved list of conveyancers you are obliged to use for the lender related work in your transaction.