I am progressing with the sale of my ground floor flat in East Cowes and the estate agent has just e-mailed to warn that the purchasers are swapping property lawyer. The reason given is that the lender will only work with solicitors on their approved list. On what basis would a major lender only engage with specific solicitors rather the firm that they want to choose for their conveyancing in East Cowes ?
Banks have always had panels of law firms that can act for them, but in recent years big names such as Nationwide, have considered and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have worked with them for more than 25 years.
Lenders blame a rise in fraud by way of justification for the reduction – criteria have been stiffened as a smaller panel is easier to oversee. Banks tend not to disclose how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society claims that it is hearing daily from firms that have been removed from panels. Plenty of firms do not even realise they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyers' case. Your purchasers are unlikely to have any sway in the decision.
Do lenders provide you with an approved list of East Cowes conveyancing solicitors? How do you know who is on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel?
East Cowes conveyancing firms themselves provide us confirmation that they are on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel as opposed to being supplied with a list from Leeds Building Society directly.
Can you help - my lawyer advises that lack of building regulations insurance is needed on my purchase. What is the level of cover for East Cowes conveyancing?
The appropriate level of lack of building regulations indemnity insurance depends on who your lender is. It would differ for example between National Westminster Bank and Barnsley Building Society. Conveyancing solicitors as opposed to members of the public take out such insurances.
Two weeks ago we had a mortgage agreed in principle with TSB. East Cowes conveyancing practitioners have been instructed. What is the average time that one could expect to receive a mortgage offer from TSB?
There is no definitive answer here. Have TSB conducted the survey? Have you informed TSB as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the TSB conveyancing panel? It is not unusual for a mortgage offer to take a month to come through.
I have instructed a East Cowes property lawyer having checked that they are on the Skipton conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?
Skipton will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Skipton 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 East Cowes 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.
A friend suggested that where I am buying in East Cowes I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?
A search of this type is sometimes included in the estimate for your East Cowes conveyancing searches. It is a large document of more than thirty pages, listing and detailing important information about East Cowes around the property and the people living there. It incorporates an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the East Cowes Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the demographics of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average House Prices, Crime details, Local Education with plans and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful information about East Cowes.
The estate agent has sent us the confirmation of our purchase of a new build apartment in East Cowes. Conveyancing is a frightening process at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. Can you give me some examples of some of the questions asked in new build conveyancing.
Here is a sample of a few leasehold new build enquiries that you should expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in East Cowes
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The Lease must contain a provision on behalf of the Vendor to pay the service charges in respect of unoccupied units in order to ensure that all services can be provided. Will the freehold then be transferred for a nominal consideration (not exceeding £100) to the Management Company? Please provide evidence that the form of Lease proposed has been approved by the Land Registry. Where service of notices and proceedings can be at the property demised please confirm that this can be amended to include simultaneous services at the Lessees’ solicitors’ offices where the Lessee from time to time is not resident in the UK - such solicitors may be varied by notice in writing to the Landlord from time to time but otherwise will be as previously specified. If there are lifts in the building, please confirm that the owners of flats on the ground and basement floors will not be required to contribute towards the cost of maintenance and renewal.
Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold element on a property I have offered on last month in what should have been a simple, no chain conveyancing. East Cowes is the location of the property. What do you suggest?
Flying freeholds in East Cowes are not the norm but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside East Cowes you would need to get your solicitor to go through the deeds very carefully. Your bank may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in East Cowes may determine that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold premises.