My husband and I are looking to acquire a home in Harpenden and have instructed a Harpenden conveyancing practice. Within the past 48 hours our solicitor has sent a preliminary report and documents to look through with a view to exchanging next week. Barnsley Building Society have this morning contacted us to inform me that they have now hit a problem as our Harpenden solicitor is not on their conveyancing panel. Is this a problem?
When purchasing a property with mortgage finance it is standard 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 Accreditation Scheme. Your solicitor should contact your lender 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 Harpenden solicitors, in which case it will likely add costs, and it may delay matters as you have another set of people involved.
I have given 2 months notice to my current landlord and have to leave my let out apartment in Harpenden by the end of next month. Conveyancing on my purchase has just started. Is it possible to complete in six weeks as I wish to avoid having to find temporary accommodation?
It is unwise to serve notice for your tenancy unless your lawyer suggests that you should. Assuming that you have not previously done so, speak to your conveyancer and request that they chase the sellers lawyers, try to an acceptable time-line that all parties will aim to achieve
It is is a decade since I bought my house in Harpenden. Conveyancing lawyers have now been appointed on the sale but I can't find my title documents. Is this a major issue?
You need not be too concerned. First there is a possibility that the deeds will be with your lender or they could still be with the conveyancers who acted in your purchase. Secondly in all probability the property will be registered at the land registry and you will be able to establish that you are the registered owner by your conveyancing solicitors procuring current official copies of the land registers. Almost all conveyancing in Harpenden involves registered property but in the rare situation where your home is not registered it adds to the complexity but is not insurmountable.
How does conveyancing in Harpenden differ for newly converted properties?
Most buyers of new build property in Harpenden contact us having been asked by the developer to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the residence is built. This is because developers in Harpenden typically acquire the site, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct property lawyers as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are used to new build conveyancing in Harpenden or who has acted in the same development.
I am looking into buying my first house which is in Harpenden and I am already nervous. I couldn't find anything specific about Harpenden. Conveyancing will be needed in due course but do you know about the Harpenden area? or perhaps some other tips you can share?
Rather than looking online forget looking online you should go and have a look at Harpenden. In the meantime here are some basic statistics that we found
My in 2005. He has been wed, widowed and in recent months got remarried. He will be selling the flat in a few weeks. I suspect that he will simply be need to supply copies of the marriage certificates to the lawyer however he is worried it could hold up the sale of the flat. Is it worth updating the land title information for the house?
You are not required to update the title for the property providing you have the evidence required to show how the change of name resulted.
Any purchaser’s conveyancing practitioner will examine the registered information and requisition evidence by way of proof of the change of name for example marriage documentation.