I am expecting a mortgage with Santander. I would like to retain the legal services of a Licensed Conveyancer in Great Harwood. Does the Santander Conveyancing panel exclude Licensed Conveyancers?
The Santander approved solicitor list is, like many other lenders, associated to the CML or Building Society Association, open to Licensed Conveyancers regulated by the CLC.
It is a dozen years since I bought my home in Great Harwood. Conveyancing lawyers have recently been appointed on the sale but I am unable to find my deeds. Will this cause complications?
Don’t worry too much. First there is a possibility that the deeds will be kept by your lender or they could be in the possession of the conveyancers who handled your purchase. Secondly in most cases the title will be registered at the land registry and you will be able to prove you own the property by your conveyancing solicitors acquiring up to date copy of the land registers. Almost all conveyancing in Great Harwood relates to registered property but in the unlikely event that your home is not registered it adds to the complexity but is resolvable.
I had intended to instruct a property lawyer in Great Harwood for our house purchase. Our financial adviser has since advised us that our mortgage company Halifax won't deal with them. Surely this is unfair competition?
Lenders normally restrict either the type or the volume of conveyancing solicitors on their approved list of lawyers. A common example of such criteria being that a law practice must not be a sole practitioner. As well as restricting the profile of firm, a few banks have decided to limit the number of solicitor practices they allow to represent them. Be aware that Halifax have no responsibility for the quality of advice provided by any member of Halifax Conveyancer Panel. Mortgage fraud was a key driver in the rationalisation of solicitor panels since 2008 even though there remains mixed views regarding the extent of solicitor engagement in some of that fraud. Statistics from the Land Registry reveal that thousands of law firms, including some in or near Great Harwood only perform one or two conveyances per annum.
I used Wolstenholmes several years past for my conveyancing in Great Harwood. I now require my file however the law firm is no longer operating. What do I do?
You should call 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 Great Harwood of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously hired, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.
Estate agents have just been given the go-ahead to market my garden apartment in Great Harwood. Conveyancing is yet to be initiated, however I have just received a quarterly service charge demand – what should I do?
The sensible thing to do is discharge the maintenance contribution as you normally would because all ground rent and maintenance payments will be allotted on completion, so you will be reimbursed by the purchaser for the period running from after the completion date to the subsequent invoice date. Most management companies will not acknowledge the buyer unless the service charges have been paid and are up to date, so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. Having a clear account will assist your cause and will leave you no worse off financially.
Great Harwood Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Sample of Questions you should consider before Purchasing
-
Its a good idea to discover as much as you can about the company managing the building as they can either make your living at the property much easier or uncomfortable. Being a leasehold owner you will be at the mercy of the managing agents both financially and when it comes to every day issues like the upkeep of the communal areas. Ask other tenants what they think of their service. On a final note, be sure you know the dates that the maintenance charges are due to the managing agents and specifically what you get for your money. Are any of leasehold owners in dispute over their service charge liability? What is the the remaining lease term?
I previously told by my bank that their panel lawyers work on no completion no charge basis for conveyancing in Great Harwood. I had a purchase abort nevertheless the conveyancers have invoiced for search fees! They are stating that the fees are independent!
Great Harwood conveyancing search costs are separate expenses not legal costs as these are due to independent parties.