My friend's sister is a property lawyer. I expect that I'll be able to get friends and family pricing for conveyancing, However if that does not come through, what kind of figure should I be expecting for conveyancing in Becontree?
It’s a good idea to get multiple conveyancing estimates. Make use of our search tool on this page. Whilst fees seem to contrast greatly but the service one can expect are distinct between property lawyers as is true with the vast majority of professional services.
Some advice if I may. My Becontree solicitor is assuring me that he has toapply for Becontree conveyancing searches asthe firm are on the Santanderapproved lawyer panel. These Becontree checks cost a lot of money can this be avoided?
You have limited options available to you. As you are taking a home loan with a mortgage company your conveyancer has to comply with their conditions as set out in their version of the CML Conveyancing Handbook. Your lawyer would have previously signed the Terms and Conditions of your lender’s conveyancing panel appointment which obliges them to follow the CML Handbook specifications . Even if you were a cash buyer you would be ill advised not to carry out Becontree conveyancing searches.
The Becontree conveyancing firm that I appointed last week on my house acquisition in Becontree have suddenly closed. I chose them because I had to have a solicitor on the UBS conveyancing panel and my family Becontree lawyer was not. I wrote them a cheque for two hundred pounds in advance. What should be my next steps?
Assuming that you have an Estate Agent in the equation then let them know immediately so that they advise the vendors that there may be a slight delay due to reasons beyond your control. Hopefully they will be sympathetic and urge their lawyer to send a new set of papers to your new solicitors. You should appoint new lawyers that are on the UBS conveyancing panel and notify the lender. If you have paid over any money, it will hopefully be held by the SRA as money in an intervened firm's bank accounts is transferred to the SRA. Then, the SRA or the intervention agent looks at the intervened firm's accounts to work out who the money belongs to. To claim your money you will need to contact the SRA. If the SRA cannot return money you are owed from the firm's bank accounts, or if they can only return part of the money, you can apply to the Compensation Fund for a grant. Your new lawyers may be able to help.
When it comes to lenders such as RBS, do Becontree lawyers have to pay an annual charge to be on the list of approved solicitors?
We are unaware of any bank fees to be on their panel, although some do levy an administration fee to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel application.
I have paid off my mortgage with Kent Reliance. I assume I don't need a Becontree property lawyer on the Kent Reliance panel to discharge the mortgage at the Land Registry. Please confirm.
If you have finished paying off your Kent Reliance mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the Kent Reliance mortgage from the register. Kent Reliance, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:
- but are not moving to another property
- where Kent Reliance has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
- Kent Reliance has instructed the Land Registry to do so
After months of negotiation I have agreed a price on a house in Becontree. My financial adviser pressured me to appoint their solicitor. I paid an on account payment of £200. Soon after, the conveyancer contacted me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the Nationwide 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 Nationwide 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'm purchasing a new build house in Becontree benefiting from help to buy. The sellers would not reduce the amount so I negotiated £7000 of additionals instead. The estate agent suggested that I not reveal to my conveyancer about this deal as it would affect my mortgage with Halifax. Do I keep my lawyer in the dark?.
All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the developer of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.
Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.
Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.
We're novice buyers - had an offer accepted, but the estate agent told us that the owners will only move forward if we appoint their chosen lawyers as they want an ‘expedited deal’. We would rather use a family solicitor accustomed to conveyancing in Becontree
It is unlikely the owners are behind this. If they want ‘a quick sale', alienating a genuine buyer is likely to cause more damage than good. Contact the vendors directly and explain that (a)you are keen to buy (b)you are ready to go, with mortgage lined up © you are chain free (d) you wish to move quickly (e)however you will continue to appoint your own,trusted Becontree conveyancing solicitors - not the ones that will provide the estate agent a referral fee or hit his conveyancing thresholds set by HQ.
