Some advice if I may. My Ampthill solicitor is advising me that he is legally obliged toorder Ampthill conveyancing searches becausethe firm are on the Virgin Moneyconveyancing panel. Is my solicitor right?
Unfortunately both you and your lawyer have little choice here. Given that you are taking out a loan with a bank your lawyer has to comply with their conditions as set out in their version of the CML Conveyancing Handbook. Your conveyancer would have previously signed the Terms and Conditions of your bank’s conveyancing panel appointment which obliges them to follow the CML Handbook conditions . Even if you were a cash buyer you would be ill advised not to carry out Ampthill conveyancing searches.
I have been told that property searches are the main reason for hinderance in Ampthill house deals. Is there any truth in this?
The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) has noted the conclusions of research by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not figure amongst the common causes of delays in the conveyancing process. Local searches are not likely to be the root cause of slowing down conveyancing in Ampthill.
My wife and I purchased a terraced Victorian house in Ampthill. Conveyancing lawyer acted for me and Halifax. I did a free Land Registry search last week and there are two entries: the first freehold, the second leasehold with the matching address. Is it worth asking Halifax to clarify?
You need to assess the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register as there may be 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 Ampthill and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they sell they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with buyers. You can also enquire as to the position with the conveyancing lawyer who conducted the conveyancing.
Do I need to be suspicious that brokers that I am dealing with are suggesting an internet conveyancing firm as opposed to a High Street Ampthill conveyancing firm?
As with lots of service providers, often recommendations from family and friends can be worth their weight in gold. But there are numerous people with a keen interest in a conveyancing matter; estate agents, financial adviser and banks might all recommend lawyers to use. On occasion the conveyancers might be known to one of the organisations as one of the best in their field, but sometimes there may be a commercial relationship behind the endorsement. You have the right to appoint your preferred lawyer. However, bear in mind that some lenders operate an approved list of conveyancers you must use for the mortgage related work in your conveyancing.
My husband and I are FTB’s - had an offer accepted, yet the agent has warned us that the vendor will only issue a contract if we appoint their preferred solicitors as they need an ‘expedited deal’. Our preferred option is to instruct a family solicitor who is familiar with conveyancing in Ampthill
We suspect that the owner is unaware of this request. Should the seller require ‘a quick sale', alienating a motivated purchaser is likely to cause more damage than good. Bypass the agents and go straight to the owners and explain that (a)you are keen to buy (b)you are ready to progress, with mortgage lined up © you are unencumbered (d) you wish to move quickly (e)however you intend to appoint your preferred Ampthill conveyancing firm - as opposed tothose that will give their estate agent a kickback or hit his conveyancing thresholds set by corporate headquarters.
We have had DIP from Alliance & Leicester who said that they will loan up to £218k. When do I need to instruct a solicitor for conveyancing? Ampthill is where we are purchasing.
It would be wise to instruct a conveyancing practitioner now so that the property lawyer can open the file so they can do their ID checks etc. As and when you wish them to start work they will seek a payment on account usually approximately £200. That should normally be once you have the mortgage offer and survey report, however if you want to expedite the process you can get going sooner albeit risking some expense.