Me and my partner are planning to acquire a 2 bedroom apartment in Hounslow with a mortgage. We have a Hounslow solicitor, but the bank says she’s not on their "panel". It appears that we have little choice but to use one of the lender panel conveyancing practices or keep our Hounslow conveyancing practitioner as well as pay for one of their panel firms to act for them. This seems very unfair; is there anything we can do?
Unfortunately,no. Your mortgage offer is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the lender’s conveyancing panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. Another option that might be available is for your Hounslow conveyancing solicitor to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.
I am purchasing a house for cash in Hounslow. I have resided for the previous 15 years in Hounslow. Conveyancing searches are exorbitant. As I have knowledge of the area and road very well must I have all the conveyancing searches?
If you not getting a mortgage, then almost all of the Hounslow conveyancing searches are non-obligatory. Your conveyancer will ’encourage you, perhaps strongly, that you should have searches done, but she is duty bound to take that path of encouragement . Do consider; if you are likely to sell the house at a future date, it could be of relevance to your future buyer what the searches contain. Sometimes houses with apparent issues can still reveal unpredicted search results. A good conveyancing solicitor in Hounslow will be able to give you some practical guidance here.
Is it correct that all Hounslow CQS (Conveyancing Quality Scheme) solicitors are on the HSBC conveyancing list of approved solicitors?
A selection of lenders now use CQS as the kick off point for Panel membership such as HSBC and Santander. The Law Society’s CQS membership however gives no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. That being said,the Council of Mortgage Lenders have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for solicitor practices wishing to remain on their approved list of firms.
We have agreed to purchase a house in Hounslow. An unusual aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Solicitors conducting should look into this right? Will my lender RBS be concerned?
As your lender is RBS your lawyer must follow the formal requirements outlined in Part two of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for RBS. The CML Handbook contains minimum specifications for solar panel roof-space leases, and property lawyers are required to report to RBS where a lease fails to satisfy these specifications. The conditions relate to the installation of panels on properties countrywide and is not limited to Hounslow.
Intending to buy a house in Hounslow. I have received an online quote from a licenced conveyancer, which states: "There will be no charge for dealing with the Lender if you are obtaining a mortgage". I take this to mean that there will be no additional fee if the solicitor is on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel. I wanted to make sure it means there will be no additional fees for dealing with the mortgage.
They are simply saying that the cost for acting for the lender is included in the fee being quoted. It is worth you checking that the Hounslow solicitor is on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel.
Me and my brother own a 4 bedroom Georgian house in Hounslow. Conveyancing practitioner acted for me and Clydesdale. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and I saw two entries: one for freehold, another for leasehold under the exact same address. If a house is not a freehold shouldn't I have been informed?
You need to review the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Hounslow and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they buy they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with buyers. You can also question the position with the conveyancing lawyer who conducted the conveyancing.
I am buying my first flat in Hounslow with a loan from Coventry Building Society. The developers refused to budge the amount so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of fixtures and fittings instead. The estate agent told me not disclose to my solicitor about the extras as it would jeopardize my mortgage with Coventry Building Society. Should I keep quiet?.
All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the builder 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.
What does commercial conveyancing in Hounslow cover?
Hounslow conveyancing for business premises covers a wide range of services, given by regulated solicitors, relating to business premises. For example, this area of conveyancing can cover the sale or purchase of freehold business premises or, more usually, the transfer of existing leases or the drafting of new leasing arrangements. Commercial conveyancing solicitors can also offer advice on the sale of business assets, commercial mortgages and the termination of leases.