Is the fact that my conveyancer in Hanwell is not on my bank's solicitor panel that there is a problem with the standard of his work?
That is more than likely a wrong assumption to make. There are all sorts of perfectly reasonable explanations. Just recently a report by the solicitors regulator indicated 76% of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The most common reasons for removal are: (1) low volume of transactions (2) the solicitor is a sole practitioner (3) as part of the HSBC panel reduction (4) regulatory contact by SRA (5) accidental removal. Where you are concerned you should contact the Hanwell conveyancing firm and enquire why they are no longer on the approved list for your mortgage company.
The Hanwell conveyancing firm handling our Hanwell conveyancing has discovered a difference between the surveyor’s assumptions in the home valuation report and what is revealed within the title deeds. My lawyer has advised that he is duty bound to check that the lender is happy with this discrepancy and is still content to lend. Is my lawyer’s approach correct?
Your solicitor must comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook conditions which do require that your lawyer disclose any incorrect assumptions in the lender’s valuation report and the legal papers. Should you refuse to allow your lawyer to make the appropriate notification then your lawyer will have no choice but to discontinue acting for both parties.
When it comes to lenders such as Coventry BS, do Hanwell conveyancing practitioners incur an annual charge to be on the list of approved solicitors?
We are unaware of any lender fees to register on their list of approved firms, although some do levy an administration fee to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel application.
Last month we had a mortgage agreed in principle with Aldermore. Hanwell conveyancing solicitors have been chosen. How long does it take for Aldermore to forward the offer to the property lawyer?
There is no definitive answer here. Have Aldermore conducted the survey? Have you informed Aldermore as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the Aldermore conveyancing panel? It is not unusual for a mortgage offer to take a month to come through.
I recently had an offer accepted on a house in Hanwell. My financial adviser recommended their conveyancers. I paid an advanced payment of £150. Soon after, the lawyer contacted me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the TSB 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 TSB 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.
Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly picked up during conveyancing in Hanwell?
Covenants that are restrictive in nature can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the legal transfer of property in Hanwell. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’
I'm purchasing my first flat in Hanwell benefiting from help to buy. The builders refused to budge the price so I negotiated 6k of extras instead. The sale representative suggested that I not to tell my lawyer about this side-deal as it would adversely affect my mortgage with the bank. Do I keep my lawyer in the dark?.
All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the developer of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.
Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.
Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.
I have today placed an offer on a leasehold flat in Hanwell and the mortgage adviser that we are dealing with suggested his solicitor. She quoted £800 including VAT and 3rd party costs. Does this sound reasonable?
Don't just go on 1 quote. You should seek like-for-like quotes for your conveyancing in Hanwell. Then select one that you trust and just as important, is on the approved panel of the mortgage company that you have applied for a mortgage from.