It is 10 years ago since I acquired my home in Blackheath. Conveyancing solicitors have recently been instructed on the sale but I am unable to track down the deeds. Is this a problem?
You need not be too concerned. First there is a possibility that the deeds will be kept by the mortgage company or they could be in the possession of the lawyers who acted in the purchase. Secondly the chances are that the property will be registered at the land registry and you will be able to establish that you own the property by your conveyancing lawyers acquiring up to date copy of the land registers. The vast majority of conveyancing in Blackheath relates to registered property but in the unlikely event that your property is unregistered it adds to the complexity but is not insurmountable.
My property lawyer in Blackheath is not on the The Mortgage Works Approved Panel. Can I still retain my prefered solicitor notwithstanding that they are not on the The Mortgage Works approved list?
Your options are as follows:
- Carry on with your existing Blackheath solicitors but The Mortgage Works will need to retain a conveyancer on their panel. This will inevitably rack up the total legal charges as well as cause frustration.
- Choose an alternative solicitor to to deal with the conveyancing, not forgetting to check they are Persuade your conveyancer to do everything within their powers to join the The Mortgage Works conveyancing panel
My husband and I have arranged the release of further funds on our mortgage from Lloyds as we intend to conduct a loft conversion to our house in Blackheath. Are we obliged to appoint a local Blackheath solicitor on the Lloyds conveyancing panel to handle the legals?
Lloyds don't usually require firms on their approved list of lawyers to deal with such a matter. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Lloyds list.
After much negotiation I have agreed a price on a house in Blackheath. My financial adviser suggested a conveyancing practitioner. I paid an advanced payment of £200. Soon after, the property lawyer contacted me to say that they were not on the Clydesdale 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 Clydesdale 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.
Co-operative have agreed my mortgage in principle, my bid on a house in Blackheath has been accepted, what happens next?
Your property agent will wish to know who your solicitors are (ensure that the lawyers are on the lender’s panel). Contact Co-operative or your financial adviser and complete any outstanding paperwork. Co-operative will appoint a valuer who will get in touch with the selling agent or seller to schedule a time for the valuation to occur. Once conducted (assuming no problems) it takes about a fortnight for the mortgage offer to be issued. Co-operative will issue the offer to you and your conveyancers. The legal work will then take it’s course according the nature and complexity of the conveyancing in Blackheath.
My partner and I are close to exchanging contracts on the sale of our house in Blackheath and the buyers lawyers are claiming that there is a risk of it being constructed on contaminated land. A high street Blackheath lawyer would know that there is no such problem. It does beg the question why the buyers are using an online conveyancing outfit rather than a conveyancing solicitor in Blackheath. Having lived in Blackheath for six years we know of no issue. Is it a good idea to get in touch with our local Authority to seek confirmation that the buyers are looking for.
It would appear that you have a conveyancing lawyer already. Are they able to advise? You must check with 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 life insurance to cover that same sickness)
The deeds to our property can not be found. The solicitors who conducted the conveyancing in Blackheath 10 years ago no longer exist. What do I do?
You no longer need to have the physical official documentation to establish that you are the registered proprietor of land or property, given that the Land Registry have everything they need in a digital format.
My wife and I are searching for an affordable conveyancing lawyer in Blackheath to assist me in selling my home. I am aware of the possibility of getting ripped off and there's so many Blackheath conveyancing practices to pick from...who do I opt for?
A trustworthy personal recommendation via someone who has used a conveyancing lawyer before is no doubt a good thing. Almost everyone has used a conveyancing lawyer previously. Feel free to use our tool to compare Blackheath conveyancing quotes