It is is a decade since I bought my property in Hulme. Conveyancing solicitors have just been appointed on the sale but I am unable to locate the title deeds. Will this jeopardise the sale?
Don’t worry too much. Firstly there is a chance that the deeds will be with your mortgage company or they could be in the possession of the solicitor who oversaw your purchase. Secondly the chances are that the land will be registered at the land registry and you will be able to establish that you own the property by your conveyancing solicitors procuring current official copies of the land registers. The vast majority of conveyancing in Hulme involves registered property but in the unlikely event that your home is unregistered it is more problematic but is not insurmountable.
Please explain the implications if my solicitor is removed from the Nationwide Solicitor panel ahead of completing my conveyancing in Hulme?
The first thing to point out is that, this is a very rare occurrence. In most cases even where a law firm is removed off of a panel the lender would allow the completion to go ahead as the lender would appreciate the difficulties that they would place you in if you have to instruct a new solicitor days before completion. In a worst case scenario where the lender insists that you instruct a new firm then it is possible for a very good lawyer to expedite the conveyancing albeit that you may pay a significant premium for this. The analogous situation is where a buyer instructs a lawyer, exchanges contracts and the law firm is shut down by a regulator such as the SRA. Again, in this situation you can find lawyers who can troubleshoot their way to bring the conveyancing to a satisfactory conclusion - albeit for a fee.
We previously selected solicitors with offices in Hulme on the Lloyds solicitor approved list. They have just invoiced me a supplemental charge for handling the Lloyds mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee set by Lloyds?
Provided it is contained in their Terms and Conditions or Quote then yes your conveyancing practitioner is entitled to levy a fee for this. This charge is not dictated by Lloyds but by your Hulme conveyancing practitioner. Some firms on the Lloyds panel will levy an ‘acting for lender’ fee and others do not.
Last month we had a mortgage agreed in principle with Santander. Hulme conveyancing solicitors were appointed. What is the average time that one could expect to receive a mortgage offer from Santander?
There is no definitive answer here. Have Santander done the survey? Have you advised Santander as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the Santander conveyancing panel? It is not unusual for a mortgage offer to take a month to come through.
Intending to buy a maisonette in Hulme. 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 Nationwide 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 Hulme conveyancer is on the Nationwide conveyancing panel.
I have been on the look out for a ground for flat up to £305k and found one round the corner in Hulme I like with amenity areas and transport links nearby, the downside is that it only has 61 years on the lease. There is not much else in Hulme in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error acquiring a short lease?
Should you need a mortgage the remaining unexpired lease term will likely be problematic. Discount the offer by the anticipated lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing owner has owned the premises for at least 2 years you can request that they commence the lease extension formalities and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the current lease term with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer concerning this.
Am I right to be suspicious about brokers that I am dealing with are suggesting an online conveyancing firm rather than a local Hulme conveyancing practice?
As with many professional services, often input from family and friends can be most helpful. Nevertheless there are many players in a conveyancing transaction; estate agents, mortgage brokers and mortgage companies might all put forward conveyancers to retain. Sometimes these lawyers might be known to one of the organisations as being good in their field, but sometimes there is an underlying financial incentive behind the endorsement. You have the discretion to appoint your own conveyancer. You need to be aware that many banks operate an approved list of lawyers you have to use for the lender related work in your home move.
The estate agent has recommended their lawyer for our conveyancing in Hulme - won’t it be advisable to just use them?
It is worth checking if the selling agent is recommending a conveyancer or introducing to a conveyancer. There are plenty of Hulme selling agents who recommend two or three Hulme conveyancing firms and get nothing from it.