Am I correct in assuming that the fact that my conveyancer in Chessington is not on my bank's conveyancing panel that there is a problem with the quality of the firm’s conveyancing?
That would more than likely be a wrong assumption to make. There are plenty of reasonable explanations. A recent report by the solicitors regulator revealed 76% of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The top 5 reasons are as follows: (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. If you are concerned you should simply call the Chessington conveyancing firm and enquire why they are no longer on the approved list for your lender.
My wife and I have just purchased a property in Chessington. We have noticed several problems with the house which we consider were omitted in the conveyancing searches. Do we have any recourse? What searches should? have been conducted as part of conveyancing in Chessington?
It is not clear from the question as to the nature of the problems and if they are relate to conveyancing in Chessington. Conveyancing searches and due diligence undertaken as part of the legal transfer of property are designed to help avoid problems. As part of the process, a seller fills in a form referred to as a Seller’s Property Information Form. If the information ends up being incorrect, you may have a misrepresentation claim against the vendor for any losses that you have suffered. The survey should have identified any problems with the structure of the property. Assuming a detailed survey was carried out and the issues were not identified, you may have a claim against the surveyor. However, if you did not have a full survey, you may be responsible for fixing any defects that have now been noted. We would always encourage buyers to take every possible step to ensure they are completely aware of the condition of a property before purchase regardless of whether they are buying in Chessington.
How up to date is your search tool for Chessington conveyancing solicitors on the Barclays conveyancing panel? Do Barclays send you an updated list?
Chessington conveyancing firms themselves provide us confirmation that they are on the Barclays conveyancing panel as opposed to being supplied with a list from Barclays directly.
I had intended to instruct a conveyancing solicitor in Chessington for our house purchase. Our broker has since advised us that our mortgage company Bank of Ireland won't deal with them. Surely this is unfair competition?
Lenders on the whole imposes restrictions either the category or the volume of conveyancing firms on their panel. Typical examples of such restriction(s) being that a law practice must have two or more partners. In addition to restricting the profile of firm, a few banks have decided to limit the amount of firms they permit to act for them. You should note that Bank of Ireland have no responsibility for the quality of advice provided by any member of Bank of Ireland Conveyancer Panel. Mortgage fraud was a key driver in the rationalisation of solicitor panels a few years ago even though there are differing opinions regarding the extent of solicitor engagement in some of that fraud. Figures from the Land Registry indicate that hundreds of law firms, including some in or near Chessington only carry out a couple conveyances per annum.
A friend advised me that where I am purchasing in Chessington I should ask my conveyancer to execute a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?
A search of this type is occasionally quoted for as part of the standard Chessington conveyancing searches. It is a large document of about 40 pages, listing and setting out important information about Chessington around the property and the people living there. It incorporates an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the local Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the demographics of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average Property Price, Crime details, Local Education with plans and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data about Chessington.
The deeds to my home are lost. The lawyers who did the conveyancing in Chessington 10 years ago are no longer around. Will I be able to sell the house?
In today’s world there are duplicates made of almost everything, and your conveyancer should be aware precisely where to find all the relevant documentation so you can buy or dispose of your house without any difficulty. Where duplicates are not available, your conveyancer can arrange cover in the form of insurance or indemnities protecting you against possible claims on your premises.