Is the fact that my conveyancer in Heaviley and Offerton is not on my lender's conveyancing panel that there is a problem with the standard of his work?
It would be unwise to jump to that conclusion. There are all sorts of perfectly plausible explanations. A recent report by the solicitors regulator indicated that over three quarters of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The top 5 reasons are as follows: (1) lack 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. If you are concerned you should contact the Heaviley and Offerton conveyancing firm and enquire why they are no longer on the approved list for your mortgage company.
Do the conveyancing practitioners to be found on your site execute auction conveyancing in Heaviley and Offerton?
There are a number of niche practitioners we can put you in touch with those conducting auction conveyancing. Heaviley and Offerton is one of hundreds of locations where our lawyers cover.
It is is a decade since I bought my property in Heaviley and Offerton. Conveyancing solicitors have recently been retained on the sale but I am unable to track down the title deeds. Will this jeopardise the sale?
You need not be too concerned. First there is a possibility that the deeds will be kept by the lender or they could stored with the conveyancers who acted in your purchase. Secondly in all probability the land will be recorded at the land registry and you will be able to establish that you are the registered owner by your conveyancing solicitors acquiring current official copies of the land registers. Most conveyancing in Heaviley and Offerton involves registered property but in the rare situation where your home is unregistered it is more tricky but is not insurmountable.
Is it correct that all Heaviley and Offerton CQS (Conveyancing Quality Scheme) solicitors are on the Virgin Money conveyancing list of approved solicitors?
It is true that some lenders now make use of the accreditation scheme as the starting point for Panel membership such as HSBC and Santander. CQS accreditation however gives no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. Nevertheless,the Council of Mortgage Lenders have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for solicitors wishing to remain on their approved list of conveyancing solicitors.
I have paid off my mortgage with Leeds Building Society. I assume I don't need a Heaviley and Offerton property lawyer on the Leeds Building Society panel to remove the mortgage at the Land Registry. Am I right?
If you have finished paying off your Leeds Building Society mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the Leeds Building Society mortgage from the register. Leeds Building Society, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:
- but are not moving to another property
- where Leeds Building Society has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
- Leeds Building Society has instructed the Land Registry to do so
I recently had an offer agreed on a house in Heaviley and Offerton. My financial adviser pressured me to appoint their conveyancing practitioner. I paid an upfront payment of £225. A couple of days later, the conveyancing practitioner called me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the Santander 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 Santander 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.
Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold element on a house I put an offer in a fortnight ago in what was supposed to be a quick, no chain conveyancing. Heaviley and Offerton is the location of the property. Can you shed any light on this issue?
Flying freeholds in Heaviley and Offerton are unusual but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside Heaviley and Offerton you would need to get your solicitor to go through the deeds diligently. Your lender may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Heaviley and Offerton may decide that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold residence.
I was advised by numerous property agents in Heaviley and Offerton to find a solicitor using your seach tool. What’s the financial upside for Estate Agents to recommend your lawyers ahead of alternative conveyancing organisations?
We don’t make any financial incentive for directing people to this site. We thought it would be too underhand to pay a commission as a client could think, ‘How come the agent getting a kickback? Why am I not receiving any benefit too?’ We would prefer to grow our business on genuine recommendations.