My husband and I are buying a 3 bedroom apartment in Dorset with a mortgage. We wish to retain our Dorset conveyancer, however the mortgage company advise he's not on their "panel". It seems we have no option but to select one of the mortgage company panel firms or continue with our Dorset solicitor and pay for one of their panel firms to act for them. This seems very unfair; are we not able to insist that the bank use our Dorset conveyancer ?
Unfortunately,no. 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. A further alternative is for your Dorset conveyancing lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.
We are about to exchange buying a house in Dorset but as a consequence of wreckage from a small fire at the property I have managed to agree compensation from the seller in the sum of £2k in the form of a deduction in the price. I had intended this to be addressed as part of a side agreement however RBS are not allowing this. Why were they approached?
Your solicitor that is on the RBS conveyancing panel is duty bound to inform RBS of any variations to the sale price. If you were to refuse your lawyer to notify the price change to RBS then they would have to discontinue acting for you. In addition, RBS and you would have to appoint a new conveyancing practitioner for your conveyancing in Dorset.
We wanted to use a conveyancing solicitor in Dorset for our house move. Our broker has since notified us that our mortgage lenders Britannia won't deal with them. Why is this not regarded as unduly restrictive?
A mortgage company may direct that a panel solicitor act for it. You would be liable to bear the cost of this. Please make use of our directory service to get a quote from a solicitor to carry conveyancing in Dorset on the Britannia approved list of solicitors.
We had chosen conveyancing lawyers located in Dorset on the UBS solicitor approved list. They are now charging me a separate charge for the legal aspects of the UBS mortgage. Is this a supplemental conveyancing fee set by UBS?
As unfair as it may seem, as long as it’s in their Terms of Engagement or Quote then yes your solicitor may levy a fee for this. This fee is not set by UBS but by your Dorset property lawyer. Numerous firms on the UBS panel will quote ’dealing with mortgage’ fee but plenty of practices include it on their overall fee.
Can I be sure that the Dorset conveyancing solicitor on the Nottingham panel is any good?
When it comes to conveyancing in Dorset getting recommendations is a sensible start. Before you go ahead, check if they offer a no sale no fee offer. Also, you often get what you pay for - a firm which quotes more, will often provide a better service than one which is cheap as chips. We would always suggest that you speak with the solicitor conducting your conveyancing.
I'm in the throws of viewing flats in Dorset and I am about to put in an offer. Is it sensible to have a property lawyer on ‘stand by’? I intend to finance via a home loan with Barclays.
It would be advisable to start your search sooner rather than later. Once you decide who you want to use and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and pass their contact information on to the selling agent. Given that you are obtaining a mortgage with Barclays, ask your prospective lawyers if they are on the Barclays conveyancing panel otherwise they can't do the mortgage legal work.
My partner has suggested that I use his conveyancers in Dorset. Do I take his advice?
No doubt it’s preferable to select a conveyancing lawyer is to seek recommendations from friends or relatives who have used the solicitor that you are contemplating using.
Do you have any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Dorset with the purpose of speeding up the sale process?
- Much of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Dorset can be bypassed where you instruct lawyers as soon as your agents start marketing the property and request that they start to collate the leasehold documentation which will be required by the buyers’ lawyers. In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s approval? Have you, for example laid down wooden flooring? Most leases in Dorset state that internal structural alterations or addition of wooden flooring necessitate a licence issued by the Landlord consenting to such changes. If you fail to have the approvals in place do not communicate with the landlord without checking with your solicitor before hand. If you have had any disputes with your freeholder or managing agents it is essential that these are settled prior to the flat being marketed. The purchasers and their solicitors will be reluctant to purchase a flat where there is an ongoing dispute. You will have to accept that you will have to pay any arrears of service charge or resolve the dispute prior to the buyers completing the purchase. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled ahead of the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You are still duty bound to disclose particulars of the dispute to the purchasers, but it is better to reveal the dispute as over as opposed to unsettled. Many landlords or managing agents in Dorset levy fees for providing management packs for a leasehold premises. You or your lawyers should enquire as to the actual amount of the charges. The management information can be applied for on or before finding a buyer, thus accelerating the process. The typical amount of time it takes to obtain the necessary information is three weeks. It is the most common cause of delay in leasehold conveyancing in Dorset. You believe that you know the number of years remaining on your lease but you should verify this via your solicitors. A purchaser's lawyer will be unlikely to recommend their client to to exchange contracts if the lease term is below 75 years. It is therefore important at an as soon as possible that you consider whether the lease for your property needs extending. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your home on the market for sale.
I invested in buying a split level flat in Dorset, conveyancing was carried out October 2004. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Corresponding properties in Dorset with an extended lease are worth £165,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 per annum. The lease expires on 21st October 2102
With just 77 years remaining on your lease we estimate the price of your lease extension to span between £7,600 and £8,800 as well as professional fees.
The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to supply a more accurate figure in the absence of detailed due diligence. You should not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be other concerns that need to be taken into account and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you move forward placing reliance on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.