The vendors of the house we are looking to purchase have instructed a conveyancing firm in Ham who has insisted on a lock out agreement with a payment two thousand pounds. Are such contracts recommended for Ham conveyancing transactions?
This kind of agreement is not the norm in Ham, conveyancers will often encourage clients away from them as they detract from focusing on the primary objective, namely conveyancing and if you end up having your deposit forfeited then the lawyer at best left with an upset client and at worst a litigious one. In addition, there is no assurance that just because the seller has executed an exclusivity contract they will complete the sale with you. They may be in contravention of the agreement if they receive sufficient incentive to do so because a wronged purchaser with the benefit of a lockout agreement will still be obliged show losses as a consequence of the breach and these may not equate the extra amount that your vendor may gain by breaking the contract, no matter how morally shameful the behaviour is.
I had intended to instruct a conveyancing solicitor in Ham for our house purchase. Our broker has since advised us that our mortgage lenders Barclays Direct won't deal with them. Surely this is unfair competition?
A decade ago most banks had a different appetite for risk. Almost all Ham conveyancing firms would have been on most bank panels. The Financial Services Authority in 2010 completed a thematic investigation into mortgage fraud which come to the conclusion: know the conveyancing solicitors dealt with. Consequently, lenders are increasingly seeing more data from law firms relating to their operations and their employees as well as establishing certain criteria such a completing on a minimum number of conveyancing. Many Ham conveyancing firms that have been excluded from lender panels have a 100% healthy track record, no complaints and no claims and didn't just 'dabble' in conveyancing. Ham is amongst the numerous areas where the conveyancers showing on our search results are on the panel for Barclays Direct.
What is your number one tip for choosing a conveyancing solicitor in Ham
It would be unwise to be seduced by the lowest Ham conveyancing quote. You really do get what you’re paying for when it comes to property lawyers. A cheap quote may mean that the conveyancing solicitor is handling a lot of jobs at one time and you won’t get the quality of service and the attention that you need. It is, however, wise to use a conveyancer who has a fixed fee on a no sale, no fee basis. This way, you go into the conveyancing with your eyes wide open.
When it comes to mortgage companies such as TSB, do Ham property lawyers face a fee to be on the conveyancing panel?
We are not aware of any lender fees to register on their list of approved firms, although some do charge an administration fee to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel application.
My wife and I are in the process of viewing houses in Ham and I am now considering a potential offer. Is it best to have my conveyancer on ‘stand by’? I will be getting a home loan with Santander.
You should start obtaining conveyancing estimates from solicitors ASAP. Once you decide who you want to use and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and forward their details on to the selling agent. Given that you are getting a mortgage with Santander, make sure you remember to check that your lawyer is on the Santander conveyancing panel.
My partner and I are close to exchanging contracts on the sale of our home in Ham and according to the buyers it appears that there is a risk of it being built on contaminated land. Any local lawyer would know this is not the case. For the life of me I don't know why the purchasers used a web based conveyancing firm as opposed to a conveyancing solicitor in Ham. Having lived in Ham for 4 years we know that this is a non issue. Should we get in touch with our local Authority to obtain confirmation need.
It sounds as though you may have a conveyancing solicitor currently acting for you. What do they say? You should enquire of your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out life insurance to cover that same illness)
2 months have elapsed since my purchase conveyancing in Ham took place. I have checked the Land Registry site which shows that I paid £200,000 when infact I paid £215,000. Why the discrepancy?
The price paid figure is taken from the application to register the purchase. It is the figure included in the Transfer (the legal deed which transfers the property from one person to the other) and referred to as the 'consideration' or purchase price. You can report an error in the price paid figure using the LR online form. In most cases errors result from typos so at first glance the figure. Do report it so they can double check and advise.
Why is New Build conveyancing in Ham more costly?
Acquiring a brand new home is completely different from the standard house purchase conveyancing in Ham. Firstly sellers usually insist contracts to exchange within a tight deadline, the result being a lot of pressure on your property lawyer to ensure all is in order. In addition new build premises frequently necessitate the checking of adoption of highways, drains, planning considerations, building warranties or architects certificates. Mortgage lender obligations are also more detailed. Due to the complex nature of the process for these types of properties, the conveyancing new build fees are higher than normal.