Me and my partner are buying a 1 bedroom apartment in West Heath with a mortgage. We have a West Heath solicitor, however the lender says he's not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the bank panel solicitors or retain our West Heath solicitor and pay for one of their panel firms to represent them. This feels very unfair; is there anything we can do?
No, not really. Your mortgage offer is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the lender’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 West Heath conveyancing solicitor to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.
The owners of the house we are hoping to buy have instructed a conveyancing practitioner in West Heath who has recommended a preliminary agreement with a payment 10k. Is it wise to enter into such agreements?
This form of contract isn't frequently used in West Heath, conveyancers are not keen on them as they detract from the main conveyancing focus and if you end up having your deposit forfeited then the solicitor is left exposed. Secondly, there is no certainty that just because the proprietor has entered into an exclusivity agreement they will sell to you. They may be motivated to break the agreement if they are offered a large enough financial inducement to do so because a wronged claimant with the benefit of a lockout agreement will still be duty bound to establish consequential losses from the breach and these may not equalise the extra amount that your vendor may gain by breaking the contract, no matter how morally shameful that may be.
I am looking for a flat up to £235,500 and identified one round the corner in West Heath I like with open areas and transport links in the vicinity, the downside is that it's only got 61 years unexpired on the lease. There is not much else in West Heath in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake purchasing a short lease?
If you need a home loan the shortness of the lease may be problematic. Reduce the price by the amount the lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current owner has owned the premises for a minimum of 2 years you can request that they commence the lease extension formalities and pass it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the existing lease term with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor concerning this.
How do I use the search app to locate a conveyancing practitioner in West Heath on the approved list for my bank?
Step one is to select a bank such as Yorkshire Building Society, The Mortgage Works or Nottingham Building Society then choose your location such as West Heath. Conveyancing practices in West Heath and further afield should be identified.
My cousin has urged me to use his lawyers for conveyancing in West Heath. Should I use them?
There are no two ways about it it’s preferable to find a conveyancing practitioner is to have guidance from friends or family who have actually used the firm that you are are thinking of instructing.
Builders have put forward a solicitor and I've sought a quote from them. They are almost £400 cheaper than my own West Heath property lawyer. Should I use them?
Developers frequently have panels of lawyers who expedite matters and who know the builder's contract and solicitor. As many developers offer an inducement to choose a preferred conveyancer for this reason, any increased cost can be avoided and a developer won't put forward a conveyancing warehouse and run the risk of having the conveyancing delayed when they demand an exchange inside a month. The argument for not agreeing to use the suggested lawyer is that they may be hesitant to 'push' your interests at the risk of alienating the housebuilder. If you worry that this may be the situation you should keep with your local West Heath conveyancer.