I am hoping to receive a offer of a home loan from Santander. I hope to instruct a Licensed Conveyancer in Covent Garden. Does the Santander Solicitor panel include conveyancers regulated by the CLC?
The Santander approved solicitor list is, like many other lenders, associated to the Council or Mortgage Lenders or BSA, open to Licensed Conveyancers regulated by the CLC.
My wife and I have recently acquired a house in Covent Garden. We have noticed several problems with the house which we believe were omitted in the conveyancing searches. What action can we take? What searches should? have been ordered as part of conveyancing in Covent Garden?
The query is not clear as to the nature of the problems and if they are unique to conveyancing in Covent Garden. Conveyancing searches and due diligence undertaken as part of the buying process are carried out to help avoid problems. As part of the process, a seller completes a form referred to as a SPIF. answers is incorrect, you could possibly take legal action against the owner 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 Covent Garden.
Do all mortgage companies provide you with an approved list of Covent Garden conveyancing solicitors? How do you know who is on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel?
Covent Garden conveyancing firms themselves provide us confirmation that they are on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel as opposed to being supplied with a list from Virgin Money directly.
I am expecting a DIP from Principality this week so we know how much we could potentially offer as otherwise we only have online calculators to go by (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do Principality recommend any Covent Garden solicitors on the Principality conveyancing panel, or is it better to go independently?
You will need to appoint Covent Garden solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the Principality conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and Principality through the process.
Completion of my remortgage has taken place for my property in Covent Garden. Conveyancing was satisfactory but I feel I should register my dissatisfaction about the lender. How does one go about formally complaining?
All banks and building societies have complaints procedures. Your first port of call should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Care Team at head office. Ordinarily complaints to a lender are sorted out very quickly. If you feel the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service with full details of your complaint.
I've read lots of house buying guides, I note that it is considered advisable to get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Covent Garden solicitor - who is on the Co-operative conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. Is that normal?
Co-operative will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Co-operative 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. You may wish to consider appointing your own Covent Garden surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller.
I used Action Conveyancing several years ago for my conveyancing in Covent Garden. Now, I need the files however the law firm has closed. What do I do?
You should 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 Covent Garden of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously retained, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.
My husband and I are FTB’s - had an offer accepted, but the selling agent has warned us that the vendor will only proceed if we instruct the agent's preferred solicitors as they are insisting on a ‘quick sale’. My instinct tells me that we should use a high street conveyancer used to conveyancing in Covent Garden
It is unlikely the vendors are driving this. Should the seller want ‘a quick sale', alienating a motivated purchaser is is going to put the whole deal at risk. Avoid the agents and go straight to the sellers and explain that (a)you are motivated purchasers (b)you are excited to move forward, with mortgage lined up © you do not need to sell (d) you wish to move quickly (e)however you intend to use your preferred Covent Garden conveyancing firm - as opposed tothe ones that will earn their negotiator at the agency a commission or meet his conveyancing targets pre-set by head office.