I had intended to instruct a conveyancing solicitor in Hurworth for our home move. Our financial adviser has since notified us that our bank Bank of Scotland won't deal with them. Why is this not regarded as unduly restrictive?
Lenders on the whole restrict either the category or the amount of conveyancing practices on their member panel. A common example of such criteria being that a firm must not be a sole practitioner. As well as restricting the profile of firm, some have reduced the amount of firms they permit to represent them. You should note that Bank of Scotland have no responsibility for the quality of advice provided by any member of Bank of Scotland Conveyancer Panel. Mortgage fraud was a primary driver in the rationalisation of conveyancing panels since 2008 even though there are mixed views concerning the extent of solicitor involvement in some of that fraud. Figures from the Land Registry reveal that plenty of law firms, including some in or near Hurworth only perform one or two conveyances per annum.
We have agreed to purchase a house in Hurworth. A rare aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Solicitors conducting should look into this right? Will my lender Yorkshire BS be concerned?
As your lender is Yorkshire BS your lawyer must check the conveyancing instructions set out in Section two of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Yorkshire BS. The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook sets out minimum specifications for solar panel roof-space leases, and conveyancers are required to report to Yorkshire BS where a lease does not satisfy these conditions. The specifications relate to the installation of panels on properties countrywide and is not limited to Hurworth.
After weeks of negotiation I have agreed a price on a house in Hurworth. My financial adviser pressured me to appoint their conveyancing practitioner. I paid an advanced payment of £150. Shortly after, 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.
I've digested plenty of mortgage guides, I note that it is considered advisable to get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Hurworth solicitor - who is on the Principality conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. is that correct?
Principality will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Principality will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. You may wish to consider appointing your own Hurworth surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller.
How does conveyancing in Hurworth differ for new build properties?
Most buyers of new build residence in Hurworth contact us having been asked by the builder to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the residence is ready to move into. This is because builders in Hurworth tend to acquire the land, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct conveyancers as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are used to new build conveyancing in Hurworth or who has acted in the same development.
I decided to have a survey carried out on a property in Hurworth prior to retaining conveyancers. I have been told that there is a flying freehold element to the house. My surveyor has said that some banks will not grant a mortgage on such a home.
It depends who your proposed lender is. Santander has different instructions from Halifax. If you e-mail us we can check via the appropriate lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Hurworth. Conveyancing can be more complicated and therefore you should check with your conveyancing solicitor in Hurworth to see if the conveyancing costs will increase in light of this.
In my capacity as executor for the estate of my grandmother I am selling a property in Newport but reside in Hurworth. My conveyancer (based 250 miles from mehas requested that I execute a stat dec ahead of completion. Could you suggest a conveyancing practitioner in Hurworth who can attest this legal document for me?
Technically speaking you are unlikely to need to have the documents attested by a conveyancing solicitor. Normally or notary public or qualified solicitor will suffice regardless of whether they are based in Hurworth
I see that you have a search directory listing firms on the bank conveyancing panel. Do Hurworth conveyancing companies pay you a commission if I retain them for my own house purchase?
We are a listing service only for law firms wishing to communicate if they are on the bank conveyancing panel or other lender panels. We do not charge referral fees to the any conveyancer that you subsequently appoint for your conveyancing in Hurworth.