I am 4 weeks into the sale of my apartment in Howden and the EA has just telephoned to warn that the buyers are changing their solicitor. The reason given is that the lender will only engage with property lawyers on their approved list. Why would a leading lender only deal with certain solicitors rather the firm that they want to select for their conveyancing in Howden ?
Banks have always had an approved set of law firms that can act for them, but in the past few years big names such as Yorkshire Building Society, have considered and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have worked with them for more than 15 years.
Lending institutions point to the increase in fraud by way of justification for the reduction – criteria have been narrowed as a smaller panel is easier to monitor. No lender will say how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society says it is being contacted daily by practices that have been removed from panels. Some are unaware that 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 unlikely to have any impact on this.
I am purchasing a new build flat in Howden. Conveyancing solicitors are said to be ‘a necessary evil’ but can I do it myself?
Leaving aside the complexities and merits of DIY conveyancing in Howden you will have to appoint a solicitor on your lender's conveyancing panel to look after their interests. Most people therefore find it easier to let the solicitor act for them and the lender. Furthermore there is minimal cost savings to be made in you doing conveyancing for yourself and another lawyer conducting the conveyancing for the lender. Please feel free to use the search tool to find a lawyer on your lender panel in Howden.
I used Stirling Law a few years ago for my conveyancing in Howden. I now require my papers however the law firm is no longer operating. What do I do?
You should contact the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to assist in tracing your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Howden of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously instructed, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.
Due to the input of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a property in Howden in advance of appointing solicitors. I have been advised that there is a flying freehold element to the house. The surveyor advised that some mortgage companies will not grant a mortgage on a flying freehold home.
It depends who your proposed lender is. HSBC has different instructions from Nationwide. If you e-mail us we can investigate further via the relevant lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Howden. Conveyancing may be slightly more expensive based on your lender's requirements.
How do I use your search tool to choose a conveyancing practitioner in Howden on the authorised to act for my bank?
1st pick a bank such as Birmingham Midshires, Norwich and Peterborough Building Society or Britannia then type in your preferred area for instance Howden. Conveyancing practices in Howden and beyond will then be shown.
A licensed conveyancer handled my conveyancing in Howden half a dozen years ago and was holding my deeds but has since been shut down – What steps do I now take to get hold of these?
Deeds, as such, no longer exist as the majority of properties in Howden are recorded digitally at Land Registry. Should you need to prove ownership or are selling or re-mortgaging your property lawyer should obtain up to date copies of the register from the Land Registry in any case.
If you feel there may be other documents or you have any other queries please e-mail your request with details of the transaction and documents you need to filerequest@clc-uk.org. The CLC will let you know what information they have and any additional information they may need before they are in a position to identify and send the documents to you. Following an intervention it may take some time for the CLC to access archived files and documents, but your request will be actioned with reasonable haste.