I sincerely hope you can assist me. My Blackfriars lawyer is informing me me that she is duty bound toapply for Blackfriars conveyancing searches asthe firm are on the HSBCconveyancing panel. Do I not have any say here?
You have limited options available to you. As you are taking a mortgage with a mortgage company your conveyancing practitioner 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 comply with the CML Handbook conditions . Even if you were a cash buyer you would be ill advised not to carry out Blackfriars conveyancing searches.
My lawyer in Blackfriars has never been on on the Virgin Money Solicitor Panel. Can I still retain my prefered solicitor even though they are not on the Virgin Money approved list?
Your options are as follows:
- Carry on with your existing Blackfriars lawyers but Virgin Money will need to instruct a lawyer on their panel. This will result in additional overall conveyancing fees as well as cause delays.
- Get an alternative lawyer to to deal with the purchase, not forgetting to check they are Virgin Money approved.
- Try to convince your Virgin Money solicitor to try to join the Virgin Money panel
I used Wolstenholmes a few years past for my conveyancing in Blackfriars. I now require my papers however the law firm has closed. What do I do?
You should call the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to assist in tracking down 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 Blackfriars of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously hired, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.
How does conveyancing in Blackfriars differ for new build properties?
Most buyers of new build or newly converted property in Blackfriars approach us having been asked by the housebuilder to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the house is completed. This is because new home sellers in Blackfriars tend to buy the real estate, 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 used to new build conveyancing in Blackfriars or who has acted in the same development.
Over the last few months I have been searching for a flat up to £245,000 and identified one near me in Blackfriars I like with amenity areas and transport links nearby, the downside is that it only has 52 remaining years left on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Blackfriars in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error purchasing a lease with such few years left?
If you need a home loan the shortness of the lease will be problematic. Discount the price by the anticipated lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current owner has owned the premises for at least 2 years you could request that they commence the lease extension formalities and pass it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the existing lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should speak to your conveyancing solicitor regarding this.
What tools are available to locate a Blackfriars solicitor on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel? I drive a motor bike and am willing to travel upto 25kilometers to meet the solicitor.
You can use the tool on this page. Please pick a mortgage company and your location and you will see a number of Blackfriars conveyancing lawyers locally. We have listed some Blackfriars conveyancing firms at the bottom of this page and you can call them to verify if they are on the Leeds Building Society panel
