Much to our surprise we have been told by our financial adviser that my Birkenhead property lawyer is not on the lender Conveyancing panel. How can I check?
Your first step should be to contact your Birkenhead lawyer directly. You lawyer should advise you of the situation. If they are not on the panel they could put your in touch with solicitors on the approved list of lawyers for your bank.
It is is a decade since I purchased my house in Birkenhead. Conveyancing solicitors have just been instructed on the sale but I am unable to find the title documents. Is this a major issue?
You need not be too concerned. Firstly the deeds may be kept by your mortgage company or they may stored with the lawyers who oversaw your purchase. Secondly in most cases the land will be recorded at the land registry and you will be able to establish that you own the property by your conveyancing lawyers procuring up to date copy of the land registers. Nearly all conveyancing in Birkenhead involves registered property but in the unlikely event that your property is not registered it is more problematic but is resolvable.
We are expecting a mortgage offer soon. The bank mentioned the home loan came with free conveyancing. Does this mean I have to use their panel solicitor as I would prefer to use a Birkenhead based conveyancing firm?
Do check but the chances are that appoint one of their panel lawyers if you accept the "fee-free" incentive. Speak to the mortgage company and check if they make available a cash alternative. Some mortgage companies have previously offered a £250 cashback as an alternative in which case you could put that amount towards the cost for your conveyancing solicitor in Birkenhead.
We are aiming to move home in March. Does my conveyancing solicitor communicate with the removal company on the day of completion. On a separate note, can you put forward a removal company in Birkenhead. Conveyancing lawyer was chosen before I stumbled across your page.
On the day of completion you can collect the keys from your estate agent but this should only occur after the previous owners lawyers advise the agent that they have the completion monies and the keys can be released. You can advise the removal men that you are ready to move in. We are not in a position to recommend a specific removal company but can assist you in locating a residential property solicitor in Birkenhead or a lawyer that specialises in conveyancing in Birkenhead.
I'm in the process of viewing houses in Birkenhead and I am about to put in an offer. Should I already have a conveyancer in place at this stage? I am planning to take a mortgage with Lloyds.
You should start requesting conveyancing quotes from solicitors ASAP. After you have chosen your lawyer and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and forward their contact information on to the estate agent. As you are obtaining a mortgage with Lloyds, ask your prospective lawyers if they are on the Lloyds conveyancing panel otherwise they can't do the mortgage legal work.
I've digested plenty of mortgage guides, I note that it is considered advisable to get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Birkenhead solicitor - who is on the Nationwide conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. Is that normal?
Nationwide will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Nationwide will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. You may wish to consider appointing your own Birkenhead surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller.
Should our lawyer be making enquiries regarding flooding as part of the conveyancing in Birkenhead.
The risk of flooding is if increasing concern for solicitors dealing with homes in Birkenhead. Plenty of people will purchase a house in Birkenhead, fully aware that at some time, it may suffer from flooding. However, aside from the physical destruction, where a house is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to obtain a mortgage, suitable insurance cover, or sell the property. There are steps that can be taken as part of the conveyancing process to forewarn the buyer.
Conveyancers are not qualified to impart advice on flood risk, however there are a numerous checks that may be carried out by the buyer or on a buyer’s behalf which will figure out the risks in Birkenhead. The conventional set of information supplied to a buyer’s conveyancer (where the solicitors are adopting what is known as the Conveyancing Protocol) includes a standard question of the owner to determine whether the property has suffered from flooding. In the event that flooding has previously occurred which is not revealed by the vendor, then a buyer could issue a compensation claim stemming from an incorrect answer. The buyer’s conveyancers should also order an environmental report. This will disclose if there is a recorded flood risk. If so, further inquiries should be conducted.
Do I need to be wary by brokers that I am dealing with are suggesting an online conveyancing firm rather than a High Street Birkenhead conveyancing firm?
As with lots of service providers, often input from connections can be worth their weight in gold. But there are lots of people with a keen interest in a conveyancing transaction; estate agents, mortgage brokers and banks may put forward lawyers to appoint. On occasion the lawyers might be known to one of the organisations as being good in their field, but sometimes there exists a financial incentive behind the endorsement. You are at liberty to select your own lawyer. You need to be aware that many mortgage providers have an approved list of law firms you have to use for the lender related work in your transaction.