Is the fact that my conveyancer in Blackpool is not on my mortgage company's conveyancing panel that there is a problem with the standard of the firm’s work?
It would not be wise to jump to that conclusion. There are plenty of plausible 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) lack 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. Where you are concerned you should contact the Blackpool conveyancing firm and enquire why they are no longer on the approved list for your bank.
My partner and I changing mortgage lender for our apartment in Blackpool with Nationwide. We have a son 19 who lives with us. Our solicitor requested us to identify any adults other than ourselves who reside at the property. Our lawyer has now e-mailed a document for our son to sign, waiving any legal rights in the event that the property is repossessed. I have two concerns (1) Is this form unique to the Nationwide conveyancing panel as he never had to sign this form when we remortgaged 3 years ago (2) Does our son by signing this giving up his entitlement to inherit the property?
On the face of it your lawyer has done nothing wrong as it is established procedure for any occupier who is aged 17 or over to sign the necessary Consent Form, which is purely to state that any rights he has in the property are postponed and secondary to Nationwide. This is solely used to protect Nationwide if the property were re-possessed so that in such circumstances, your son would be legally obliged to leave. It does not impact your son’s right to inherit the apartment. Please note that if your son were to inherit and the mortgage in favour of Nationwide had not been discharged, he would be liable to take over the loan or pay it off, but other than that, there is nothing stopping him from keeping the property in accordance with your will or the rules of intestacy.
I am buying a house and need a conveyancing solicitor in Blackpool who is on the Bank of Scotland approved. Can you recommend a local firm?
Our service is limited to being a directory service for firms who wish to listed as being on the approved conveyancing panel for Bank of Scotland in certain locations such as Blackpool. We dont recommend any particular firm.
I recently had an offer agreed on an apartment in Blackpool. My mortgage broker recommended their conveyancers. I paid an advanced payment of £150. Shortly after, the conveyancing practitioner called me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the Barclays 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 Barclays 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.
I was told four weeks ago that my mortgage has been agreed to by Santander. Is it usual for Santander to only issue the offer once my solicitor in Blackpool is approved on their conveyancing panel? Santander have asked my solicitor to see a copy of their PI Insurance.
A lender would not issue a mortgage until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Santander to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the Santander conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.
Barclays have agreed my home loan in principle, my offer on a flat in Blackpool has been agreed to, what are the next steps?
Your estate agent will wish to be advised as to your lawyer's details (be sure the solicitors are on the lender’s approved list). Call up Barclays or your financial adviser and finalise any relevant forms. Barclays will sellect a valuer who will get in touch with the estate agent or owners to book a time for the valuation to take place. Once conducted (assuming no problems) it takes on average a week for the mortgage offer to be issued. Barclays will send the offer to you and your solicitors. The transaction will then take it’s course according the nature and complexity of the conveyancing in Blackpool.
I used Wolstenholmes several years ago for my conveyancing in Blackpool. Now, I need the files however the law firm is no longer operating. What do I do?
Do contact 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 Blackpool 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.
In surfing the web for the phrase on line conveyancing in Blackpool it shows results of many property lawyersin the area. With so much choice what is the best way to find the right property lawyer for the sale of my house?
The best way of finding a suitable conveyancer is via trusted referral, so ask colleagues and those you trust who have purchased a property in Blackpool or a reputable estate agent or financial adviser. Fees for conveyancing in Blackpool differ, so it's a good idea to secure at least four estimates from different solicitors. Make sure that you clarify that the costs are assured not to escalate.