My wife and I are hoping to purchase a home in Garstang and have appointed a Garstang conveyancing firm. Within the past 48 hours our lawyer has sent a preliminary report and documents to look through with the expectation that exchange is imminent. Bank of Scotland have this evening contacted us to inform me that they have now hit a problem as our Garstang lawyer is not on their conveyancing panel. What do we do from here?
When purchasing a property with the benefit of a mortgage it is normal for the purchasers' lawyers to also act for the purchaser's lender. In order to act for a bank or building society a law firm has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the law firm to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the firm has to satisfy and indeed some lenders now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme. Your property lawyer should contact your bank and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own solicitors to act. You don't have to instruct a firm on the bank's conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own Garstang solicitors, in which case your legal fees may increase, and it may delay matters as you are adding another lawyer into the mix.
Me and my wife are buying our first property. Our conveyancing practitioner has e-mailedto check if we wish to purchase supplemental conveyancing searches. As novices we are clueless as to what's needed for conveyancing in Garstang
The number and type of Garstang conveyancing searches depends primarily on the premises, the location, the possibility of any of these risks, your familiarity of the locality and risks, your general approach to risk. What matters is that you adequately appreciate what information the searches could supply. Then you can decide if you personally think you need that information. If unclear, ask your property lawyer to advise.
What does my ID and proof of funds have anything to do with my conveyancing in Garstang? Why is this being asked of me?
Garstang conveyancing solicitors and indeed property lawyers accross the UK have a duty under Anti-terror and anti-money-laundering rules to check the identity of any client with a view to satisfy themselves that clients are who they say they are.
Conveyancing clients will need to disclose two forms of certified ID; proof of identity (usually a Passport or Driving Licence) and evidence of address (typically a Utility Bill less than 3 months old).
Proof of source of funds is also required in accordance with the money laundering statutes as lawyers are mandated to ensure that the monies you are utilising to purchase a property (whether it be the deposit for exchange or the total purchase amount where you are a cash purchaser) has come from a reputable source (such as employment savings) and is not the proceeds of illegitimate behaviour.
I am purchasing a 3 bedroom semi in Garstang. Our aim is to convert the garage to an office at the house.Will the conveyancing process include checks to see if these alterations are prohibited?
Your solicitor should review the registered title as conveyancing in Garstang can on occasion identify restrictions in the title deeds which prohibit categories of alterations or necessitated the permission of another owner. Some extensions require local authority planning permissions and approval under the building regulations. Certain locations are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which often prevent or impact extensions. You should check these things with a surveyor before you commit yourself to a purchase.
My partner and I have arranged the release of further funds on our home loan from Nottingham as we want to carry out renovations to our house in Garstang. Are we obliged to appoint a nearby Garstang solicitor on the Nottingham conveyancing panel to deal with the legals?
Nottingham would not normally appoint firms on their approved list of lawyers to deal with such a matter. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Nottingham conveyancing panel.
After weeks of negotiation I have agreed a price on an apartment in Garstang. My financial adviser suggested a property lawyer. I paid an advanced payment of £175. A few days later, the conveyancer contacted me to say that they were not on the Lloyds conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?
You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Lloyds panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.
I need to appoint a conveyancing solicitor for freehold conveyancing in Garstang. I've stumble across a site which looks to be the perfect offering If it is possible to get all the legals completed via phone that would be ideal. Should I be concerned? What should out be looking out for?
As usual with these online conveyancers you need to read ALL the small print - did you notice the extra charge for dealing with the mortgage?
I have noted on numerous consumer advice websites that before choosing a conveyancing solicitors they need approved by your mortgage company. I am novice purchaser but I have an offer in principle via Virgin Money and I already have a bricks and morter conveyancing lawyer in Garstang lined up. Does Virgin Money require an approved conveyancer to be instructed? Does a list of panel firms even exist so I can choose a conveyancing lawyer in Garstang?
You should choose a solicitor that is on the Virgin Money panel. Just ring your chosen Garstang conveyancing lawyer and ask if they are on the Virgin Money panel. If they are not approved you have a number of options open to you here:
- Complete the deal with your chosen Garstang property lawyer but Virgin Money will no doubt appoint a lawyer on their approved panel. The net result is additional cost and likely interruption.
- Choose a fresh conveyancer to act in the purchase, not forgetting to check that they are on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel.
- Convince your solicitor to seek to join the lender panel.