My husband and I are hoping to buy a flat in Blackheath and have instructed a Blackheath conveyancing firm. Within the last couple of days our lawyer has forwarded the sale agreement to be signed with a detailed report in anticipation of exchanging contracts shortly. Lloyds TSB Bank have this afternoon contacted us to inform me that they have now hit a problem as our Blackheath lawyer is not on their conveyancing panel. What do we do from here?
When purchasing a property with the benefit of a mortgage it is conventional for the purchasers' lawyers to also represent the purchaser's lender. In order to act for a bank or building society a law firm has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the law firm to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the firm has to satisfy and indeed some lenders now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme. Your property lawyer should contact your mortgage company and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own solicitors to act. You are not legally obliged to appoint a law firm on the bank's conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own Blackheath solicitors, in which case it will likely add costs, and it may delay matters as you are adding another lawyer into the mix.
Our son is in the process of securing a house that has just been built in Blackheath with a home loan from Leeds Building Society. His lawyer has advised him of a delay in receiving the ‘Disclosure of Incentive Form’. What is this document - I have never come across this before?
The form is intended to provide information to the main parties involved in the purchase. Therefore, it will be provided to your son’s lawyer who should be on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel as a standard part of the process, and to the surveyor when requested. The developer will be required to start the process by downloading the form and completing it. The form will therefore need to be available for the valuer at the time of his or her site visit. The form should be sent to the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel solicitor as early as possible, in order to avoid any last minute delays, and no later than at exchange of contracts.
As someone unfamiliar with conveyancing in Blackheath what’s the number one tip you can give me for the home moving process in Blackheath
You may not hear this from too many lawyers but conveyancing in Blackheath or throughout South East London is often a confrontational experience. Put another way, when it comes to conveyancing there is plenty of room for friction between you and other parties involved in the legal transfer of property. E.g., the seller, selling agent and even potentially your lender. Appointing a solicitor for your conveyancing in Blackheath an important selection as your conveyancer is your adviser, and is the ONE person in the process whose role it is to protect your legal interests and to protect you.
There is a worrying emergence in the "blame" culture- someone has to be blamed for the process taking so long. You must always trust your lawyer ahead of the other parties in the conveyancing process.
When reading consumer advice sites for a high-quality solicitor in Blackheath, many advise that I must instruct a CQS assured lawyer. What is CQS?
Blackheath Conveyancing Quality Scheme practices have achieved accreditation by the law Society The Law Society introduced CQS to establish evidence of quality standards in the home legal process. CQS helps consumers to recognise practices that provide a quality residential conveyancing. Blackheath is one of the many areas in England and Wales in which accredited firms are based. The conveyancing scheme requires law firms to undergo a strict assessment, compulsory training, self-certification, spot checks and yearly assessments in order to maintain CQS status. It is available to solicitors and not licensed conveyancers and has the support of the Association of British Insurers.
We are selling our house in Blackheath and the buyers lawyers are claiming that there is a risk of it being built land that was not decontaminated. A local lawyer would know that there is no such problem. For the life of me I don't know why the purchasers used an internet conveyancing outfit rather than a conveyancing solicitor in Blackheath. Having lived in Blackheath for many years we know of no issue. Do we contact our local Authority to get confirmation that there is no issue.
It sounds as though you may have a conveyancing lawyer already. What do they say? You need to enquire of your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out health insurance to cover that same sickness)
My business partner and I are hoping to lease a unit on a shopping parade. Can you recommend solicitors offering no-move-no charges for non-domestic conveyancing in Blackheath for less than £2000?
We are happy to recommend firms who have well rounded knowledge of commercial conveyancing in Blackheath, including the sale and purchase of businesses as well as simply premises. Whether you are intending to acquire or lease a shop, pub, restaurant, office, retail premises or a complete business we can find you the right firm. As for the costs this will depend on the structure and nuances of the proposed transaction. Please provide us with your contact information or call us so that we may supply you with a fixed commercial conveyancing quote.