We are buying a 2 bedroom flat in Burford with a mortgage. We would like to retain our Burford conveyancer, however the lender says she’s not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the lender panel firms or continue with our Burford conveyancing practitioner and pay for one of their panel ones to represent them. We regard this is unjust; can we not require that the lender use our Burford conveyancing practitioner ?
No, not really. Your mortgage offer is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the bank’s conveyancing panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. Another option that might be available is for your Burford conveyancing solicitor to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.
Why is leasehold purchase conveyancing in Burford costs more?
In summary, leasehold conveyancing in Burford and Oxfordshire usually warrants more hours of investigation compared to freehold transactions. This includes lease investigation, liaising with the landlord about serving required notices, procuring current service charge and management information, procuring the freeholder’s consents and reviewing management accounts. The obligations on both the landlord and the tenant in the lease need to be studied by the buyer’s conveyancing team and read from beginning to end – regardless of the fact the lease has passed through many different property solicitors hands since it was first entered into.
Is it the case that all Burford solicitors on the Barclays conveyancing panel are governed by the SRA?
As a firm of solicitors, in order to be on the Barclays approved list of solicitors they would need to be regulated by the SRA. Some banks do allow licenced conveyancers on their panel and in such a situation the firms would be governed by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.
I am buying a property in Burford. One unusual aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Kent Reliance have issued a mortgage offer so presumably this is not a concern to them. Why is my solicitor raising questions about the panel?
As your lender is Kent Reliance your lawyer must follow the conveyancing instructions contained in Part 2 of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Kent Reliance. The CML Handbook sets out minimum specifications for solar panel roof-space leases, and lawyers are required to report to Kent Reliance where a lease fails to meet these conditions. The conditions relate to the installation of panels on properties in England and Wales and is not restricted to Burford.
About to purchase flat in Burford. I have received an online quote from a licenced conveyancer, which states: "There will be no charge for dealing with the Building Society if you are obtaining a mortgage". I take this to mean that there will be no additional fee if the solicitor is on the Nationwide conveyancing panel. I wanted to make sure it means there will be no additional fees for dealing with the mortgage.
They are simply saying that the cost for acting for the lender is included in the fee being quoted. It is worth you checking that the Burford conveyancer is on the Nationwide conveyancing panel.
I have todaybeen informed that Action Conveyancing have closed. They carried out my conveyancing in Burford for a purchase of a leasehold flat 12 months ago. How can I establish that my home is registered correctly in the name of the former proprietor?
The easiest method to check if the premises is registered to you, you can make a search of the land registry (£3.00). You can either do this yourself or ask a law firm to do this for you. If you are not registered you can seek help from one of a number of Burford conveyancing specialists.
Due to the encouragement of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a property in Burford before appointing conveyancers. I have been informed that there is a flying freehold element to the property. Our surveyor has said that some banks will refuse to give a mortgage on such a premises.
It varies from the lender to lender. Santander has different requirements for example to Halifax. Should you wish to telephone us we can check with the appropriate bank. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Burford. Conveyancing can be more complicated and therefore you should check with your conveyancing solicitor in Burford to see if the conveyancing will be more expensive.
We have been told by many estate agents to expect 6-8 weeks for Burford conveyancing to complete.This was 3 ago. The paperwork was only received to my lawyer last week so now does it countdown?
Don't bank on counting down any 6-8 week suggested period. Providing assurances as to precisely how long Burford conveyancing will take is nigh on impossible. Without fail every conveyance will have it’s specific set of complexities. Accordingly your property lawyer should find it difficult to give representations as to the length of time it will take to complete conveyancing in Burford.