I am in the process of selling my house in Accrington and the estate agent has just telephoned to advise that the buyers are swapping conveyancer. I am told that this is due to the fact that the mortgage company will only work with property lawyers on their conveyancing panel. Why would a big named lender only deal with certain lawyers rather the firm that they want to appoint to handle their conveyancing in Accrington ?
Mortgage companies have always had an approved set of law firms they are content to work with, but in the past few years big names such as Yorkshire Building Society, have considered and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have worked with them for more than 15 years.
Lending institutions blame a rise in fraud as the reason for the pruning – criteria have been tightened as a smaller panel is easier to monitor. Banks tend not to reveal how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society says it is hearing daily from firms that have been removed from panels. Plenty of firms do not even realise they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyers' case. The purchasers are unlikely to have any impact on this.
Do I have to pop into the offices of the solicitor to execute the mortgage deed? If so, I will choose one who does conveyancing in Accrington so that I can pop in to their offices when needed.
As opposed to 15 years ago, almost all mortgage companies no longer require their conveyancing panel lawyer to witness the mortgagors signature. You will still be obliged to hand over ID documents and there are still distinct advantages to using a locally based practitioner, in your case a conveyancing solicitor in Accrington.
Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly identified during conveyancing in Accrington?
Restrictive covenants can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the legal transfer of property in Accrington. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’
How does conveyancing in Accrington differ for newly converted properties?
Most buyers of new build premises in Accrington contact us having been asked by the seller to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the house is built. This is because new home sellers in Accrington usually purchase 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 Accrington or who has acted in the same development.
In my capacity as executor for the estate of my grandmother I am selling a house in Cardiff but reside in Accrington. My conveyancer (based 235 kilometers awayneeds me to sign a statutory declaration ahead of the transaction finalising. Could you suggest a conveyancing practitioner in Accrington to witness this legal document for me?
Technically speaking you should not be required to have the documents witnessed by a conveyancing solicitor. Normally or notary public or solicitor will do regardless of whether they are Accrington based
Me and my fiance are looking at buying our first property in Accrington. Can you recommend a cheap Accrington property lawyer that will assist us as well as act for Santander?
LenderPanel.com is restricted to being a directory service for solicitors who wish to be listed as being on the approved conveyancing panel for Santander in certain locations such as Accrington . We dont recommend any specific property lawyer.