Is the fact that my conveyancer in Bedlington is not on my bank's conveyancing panel that there is a problem with the standard of the firm’s conveyancing?
It would be unwise to jump to that conclusion. There are plenty of reasonable explanations. Just recently a report by the solicitors regulator indicated 76% of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The most common reasons for removal are: (1) low volume of transactions (2) the solicitor is a sole practitioner (3) as part of the HSBC panel reduction (4) regulatory contact by SRA (5) accidental removal. Should you be concerned you should contact the Bedlington conveyancing firm and ask them why they are no longer on the approved list for your lender.
I can see plenty of information on this site about conveyancing in Bedlington but what is your top tip for choosing the right conveyancer in Bedlington
Do not opt for the cheapest Bedlington conveyancing quote. You really do get what you pay for when it comes to conveyancing solicitors. A cheap quote may mean that the conveyancing solicitor is handling a lot of jobs at one time and you won’t get the quality of service and the attention that you need. It is, however, wise to use a conveyancer who has a fixed fee on a no sale, no fee basis. This way, you know exactly what you’ll have to pay in ahead of time.
Do I choose a Licenced Conveyancer or Solicitor for conveyancing in Bedlington?
There are many recorded licenced Conveyancers in Bedlington and Solicitor practices in Bedlington offering conveyancing We would stress that the two are supervised by regulatory bodies with both specialising in the legal aspects of the home buying process. They may both also conduct other property legal work such as remortgage conveyancing, lease extensions and transfer of equity conveyancing.
I am currently in the process of buying my council flat in Bedlington. I have a mortgage agreed with Co-operative. Conveyancing is new to me. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should use one. Any advice?
It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with Co-operative, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Co-operative conveyancing panel.
I used Stirling Law several years past for my conveyancing in Bedlington. I now require my file however cannot find the solicitor. What do I do?
You should call the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to help locate your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Bedlington of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously instructed, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.
I've recently found out that there is a flying freehold issue on a house I put an offer in a fortnight ago in what should have been a quick, chain free conveyancing. Bedlington is the location of the property. Is there any advice you can impart?
Flying freeholds in Bedlington are not the norm but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside Bedlington you would need to get your solicitor to go through the deeds very carefully. Your lender may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Bedlington may ascertain that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold premises.
Should I appoint a Bedlington conveyancing lawyer who is local to the property I am purchasing? We have a good friend who can deal with the legal formalities but his firm is located a couple of hundredmiles drive away.
The benefit of a local Bedlington conveyancing practice is that you can pop in to execute paperwork, hand in your ID and apply pressure on them if necessary. Having local Bedlington know how is a bonus. However it's more important to get someone that will pull out all the stops for you. If you know people who instructed your friend and in the main were impressed that should trump using an unfamiliar Bedlington conveyancing lawyer solely due to them being Bedlington based.
We are midway through purchasing a property in Bedlington. Conveyancing lawyer has phoned to say the title is "Leasehold". Will this likely make a difference on our Natwest valuation?
Bedlington conveyancing does not normally involve leasehold houses. The crucial consideration here is the length of lease and the ground rent. If it's 999 years with a nominal rent, it's virtually freehold, so it’s unlikely to affect the saleability too much.
At the other end of the spectrum, if it's, say, Sixty years it is bound to have a adverse effect on the saleability, and most likely wouldn't be acceptable to the lender. The length of lease and ground rent will be specified in the lease provided to your solicitor.