I am progressing with the sale of my maisonette in Heathfield and the EA has just text me to advise that the purchasers are changing their law firm. The reason given is that the mortgage company will only engage with property lawyers on their approved list. Why would a big named lender only deal with specific lawyers rather the firm that they want to appoint for their conveyancing in Heathfield ?
Lenders have always had panels of law firms that can represent them, but in the past few years big names such as Santander, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have worked with them for decades.
Mortgage companies point to the increase in fraud by way of justification for the cull – criteria have been tightened as a smaller panel is easier to keep an eye on. No lender will say how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society says it is hearing daily from firms that have been removed from panels. Plenty of firms do not even realise they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyers' case. Your buyers are not going to have any impact on this.
Can I use your services to locate a Conveyancing solicitor in Heathfield even if I’m not purchasing or disposing of a house, for instance where I want to buy an office in Heathfield with a loan from Yorkshire Building Society?
Our search tool is primarily utilised to select residential conveyancing solicitors in Heathfield but we have set out towards the bottom of this page some Heathfield commercial conveyancing firms. You should enquire with the company directly to check if they are also authorised to represent Yorkshire Building Society
I am considering applying for a Leeds Building Society mortgage for purchase of a newly converted (under development) in Heathfield with 70% loan to value. Is it compulsory to choose a solicitor on the conveyancing panel for Leeds Building Society ?
There is nothing to stop you using your solicitor, but Leeds Building Society will insist on their interests being represented by a firm on their conveyancing panel. There is greater potential for delays and confusion with an additional lawyer added to the mix, and it will undoubtedly be more expensive too.
Me and my partner are purchasing a property in Heathfield. It might be a silly question but how we can trust a lawyer? On completion day we will need to deposit money into their account. What protection do we have from them run away with our monies?
Be assured that all money in a Solicitors client account is 100% safe, and even if your Solicitor ran off with it, the Law Society would reimburse you fully.
My lawyer has informed me that missing deeds insurance is required on my purchase. What is the level of cover for Heathfield conveyancing?
The right level of missing deeds indemnity insurance should be dictated by who your lender. It would differ for example between Santander and Norwich and Peterborough Building Society. Conveyancing practitioners as opposed to borrowers take out such policies.
We previously selected conveyancers based in Heathfield on the Skipton solicitor panel. They have just invoiced me a separate sum for the legal aspects of the Skipton mortgage. Is this a supplemental conveyancing fee specified by Skipton?
Provided it is contained in their Terms of Engagement or Quote then yes your conveyancing practitioner is entitled to charge a fee for this. The fee is not set by Skipton but by your Heathfield solicitor. Numerous firms on the Skipton panel will levy an ‘acting for lender’ fee but plenty of firms incorporate it on their overall fee.
My relative recommended that where I am purchasing in Heathfield I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. What does it cover?
A search of this type is sometimes included in the estimate for your Heathfield conveyancing searches. It is not a small report of more than thirty pages, listing and setting out important information about Heathfield around the property and the people living there. It includes an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the Heathfield Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the demographics of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average Property Price, Crime statistics, Local Education with plans and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful information concerning Heathfield.
I have todaybeen informed that Wolstenholmes have been shut down. They carried out my conveyancing in Heathfield for a purchase of a leasehold flat 9 months ago. How can I establish that the property is registered correctly in the name of the former proprietor?
The easiest method to check if the premises is in your name, you can make a search of the land registry (£3.00). You can either do this yourself or ask a law firm to do this for you. If you are not registered you can seek help from one of a number of Heathfield conveyancing specialists.