Am I correct in assuming that the fact that my conveyancer in Chadwell Heath is not identified on my lender's solicitor panel that there is a problem with the quality of her work?
That would most likely be a wrong assumption to make. There are plenty of plausible explanations. Just recently a report by the solicitors regulator revealed that over three quarters of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The most common reasons for removal are: (1) low volume 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. Should you be concerned you should simply call the Chadwell Heath conveyancing practice and enquire why they are no longer on the approved list for your bank.
Please explain the implications if my solicitor is removed from the Yorkshire BS Solicitor panel ahead of completing my conveyancing in Chadwell Heath?
The first thing to point out is that, this is very unlikely to happen. In most cases even where a law firm is removed off of a panel the lender would allow the completion to go ahead as the lender would appreciate the difficulties that they would place you in if you have to instruct a new solicitor days before completion. In a worst case scenario where the lender insists that you instruct a new firm then it is possible for a very good lawyer to expedite the conveyancing albeit that you may pay a significant premium for this. The analogous situation is where a buyer instructs a lawyer, exchanges contracts and the law firm is shut down by a regulator such as the SRA. Again, in this situation you can find lawyers who can troubleshoot their way to bring the conveyancing to a satisfactory conclusion - albeit for a fee.
If you had a top tip for selecting a conveyancing solicitor in Chadwell Heath what would it be?
It would be unwise to be tempted by the lowest Chadwell Heath conveyancing fees. You really do get what you pay for when it comes to property lawyers. A cheap quote may mean that the conveyancing solicitor is handling a lot of jobs at one time and you won’t get the quality of service and the attention that you need. It is, however, wise to use a conveyancer who has a fixed fee on a no sale, no fee basis. This way, you go into the conveyancing with your eyes wide open.
Planning on purchasing a apartment in Chadwell Heath. I have received an online quote from a licenced conveyancer, which states: "There will be no charge for dealing with the Lender if you are obtaining a mortgage". I take this to mean that there will be no additional fee if the solicitor is on the Santander 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 Chadwell Heath lawyer is on the Santander conveyancing panel.
I've read lots of house buying guides, I note that they all recommend that you should get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Chadwell Heath solicitor - who is on the Nottingham conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. is that correct?
Nottingham will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Nottingham will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. Your property lawyer will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by your Chadwell Heath postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Nottingham, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Chadwell Heath.
I need some expedited conveyancing in Chadwell Heath as I am under a deadline to sign on the dotted line in less than 4 weeks. A home loan is not required. Is it possible to decline from having conveyancing searches to save fees and time?
As you are not getting a home loan you are at free not to have searches conducted although no lawyer would recommend that you don't. With plenty of history conveyancing in Chadwell Heath the following are instances of issues that can crop up and adversely impact future saleability: Enforcement Notices, Overdue Fees, Outstanding Grants, Unadopted Roads,...
My wife and I purchased a semi-detached Georgian house in Chadwell Heath. Conveyancing solicitor acted for me and Nottingham Building Society. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and I saw two entries: one for freehold, the second leasehold with the matching address. If a house is not a freehold shouldn't I have been informed?
You need to assess the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Chadwell Heath and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they sell they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with buyers. You can also enquire as to the position with the conveyancing lawyer who conducted the purchase.
Is it best to go with a Chadwell Heath conveyancing practitioner who is local to the property I am buying? I have an old university friend who can execute the conveyancing but her office is approximately 350kilometers drive away.
The benefit of a high street Chadwell Heath conveyancing firm is that you can drop in to sign paperwork, hand in your identification documents and apply pressure on them where appropriate. They will also have local intelligence which is a plus. That being said nothing is more important than finding someone that will pull out all the stops for you. If if people you trust instructed your friend and they were impressed that must trump using an unknown Chadwell Heath conveyancing solicitor just because they are round the corner.
