We are planning to buy a 2 bedroom flat in Woolton with a mortgage. We have a Woolton conveyancer, however the lender says he's not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the lender panel solicitors or continue with our Woolton conveyancing practitioner as well as pay for one of their panel lawyers to act for them. We regard this is unjust; are we not able to insist that the mortgage company use our Woolton property lawyer ?
Unfortunately,no. The mortgage offered to you is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the bank’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. Another option that might be available is for your Woolton conveyancing solicitor to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.
Is it possible for conveyancing in Woolton to be completed in 10 days?
First, If the seller is applying a tight deadline to sign contracts it is advisable to make sure that your lawyer is familiar with the area as they will benefit local contacts and knowledge. It is even conceivable that they could have handled previoushomes in the same neighbourhood. You would be best advised to use a Woolton conveyancing lawyer. Second, double check that the conveyancing firm is on the on the approved list for your mortgage company. It is claimed that 18% of Woolton conveyancing deals are suspended or derailed after finding out that a buyer’s solicitor was not on their banks list of approved solicitors. This can often result in the transaction being delayed by almost 21 days. It is believed that this issue affects approximately 100,000 home moves annually. Most Woolton conveyancing firms can not represent certain mortgage companies so do check at the outset.
My wife and I are buying a house in Woolton. It might be a silly question but how we can trust a solicitor? At some point we have to deposit funds into their account. What is the protection we have from them run away with our deposit?
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.
My father pointed out to me me that in purchasing a property in Woolton there may be a number of restrictions preventing external alterations to a property. Is this right?
There are anumerous of properties in Woolton which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to execute external variations. Part of the conveyancing in Woolton should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.
I'm spending time looking at apartments in Woolton and I am about to put in an offer. Is it too early to have a solicitor in place? I intend to finance via a home loan with UBS.
It would be wise to instigate your search sooner rather than later. After you have chosen your lawyer and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and pass their contact information on to the estate agent. As you are seeking a mortgage with UBS, make sure you remember to check that your lawyer is on the UBS conveyancing panel.
Various internet forums that I have visited warn that are the main reason for stalling in Woolton house deals. Is there any truth in this?
The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) published determinations of a review by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not feature within the top 10 causes of hindrances in the conveyancing process. Local searches are unlikely to be the root cause of delay in conveyancing in Woolton.
My wife and I have a renovated Victorian property in Woolton. Conveyancing lawyer represented me and Bank of Scotland. 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 exact same property. Is it worth asking Bank of Scotland to clarify?
You should read 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 owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Woolton 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 situation with the conveyancing practitioner who completed the work.
I am looking for a conveyancing practitioner in Woolton for my remortgage. Is it possible to review a solicitor's complaints history with the legal regulator?
Members of the public may review presented Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) decisions stemming from investigations from 2008 onwards. Go to Check a solicitor's record. For information about the period before 1 January 2008, or to check a solicitors history, ring 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and 09.30 - 18.00 Tuesday. International callers, call +44 (0)121 329 6800. The SRA sometimes recorded call for training requirements.