Is the fact that my solicitor in Keynsham is not listed on my mortgage company's solicitor panel that there is a problem with the standard of his conveyancing?
It would be unwise to jump to that conclusion. There are plenty of reasonable 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) low volume 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. Should you be concerned you should simply call the Keynsham conveyancing practice and enquire why they are no longer on the approved list for your lender.
When can the exchange of contracts occur in residential conveyancing in Keynsham and am I required to be at the solicitors branch?
Where you are near to one of the conveyancing solicitors in Keynsham you are welcome to attend to sign contracts. However, the firms we work with offer countrywide coverage for conveyancing and provide as equally detailed and professional a job for you when communicating with you digitally. The signing of the property agreement is not the point of no return. Signing on the dotted line is just a prerequisite for the conveyancer to exchange contracts at the appropriate time, which is ordinarily shortly after signing. The exchange process is is usually a five minute process, although where an extended "chain" is in the mix, since the process requires the relevant party's solicitor (not necessarily a conveyancing solicitor in Keynsham)to be in the office at the appropriate time.
The Keynsham conveyancing firm that I recently instructed on my house acquisition in Keynsham have without warning shut down. They were on acting for me because I needed a solicitor on the Aldermore conveyancing panel and my family Keynsham lawyer was not. I paid them £170 in advance. What do I do now?
Assuming that you have an Estate Agent in the equation then inform them straight away so that they advise the vendors that there may be a slight delay due to reasons beyond your control. Hopefully they will be sympathetic and urge their lawyer to send a new set of papers to your new solicitors. You should appoint new lawyers that are on the Aldermore conveyancing panel and notify the lender. If you have paid over any money, it will hopefully be held by the SRA as money in an intervened firm's bank accounts is transferred to the SRA. Then, the SRA or the intervention agent looks at the intervened firm's accounts to work out who the money belongs to. To claim your money you will need to contact the SRA. If the SRA cannot return money you are owed from the firm's bank accounts, or if they can only return part of the money, you can apply to the Compensation Fund for a grant. Your new lawyers may be able to help.
Have just purchased a probate house at auction in Keynsham. Conveyancing is required. What happens now?
Having for all intents and purposes signed on the dotted line you now have to instruct a conveyancing practitioner soon as you will have a tight a drop dead date to complete the purchase. An auction property should have a bespoke auction set of papers. This will likely include evidence of title and search results. If you have purchased leasehold property the legal pack should include a copy of the lease, management information and a sellers leasehold information form and other conveyancing documentation relating to a leasehold property. You should pass this on to your appointed conveyancing solicitor as soon as possible. Do make sure that that you have the requisite funding organised to complete the transaction on the set completion date.
I am due to move house in March. Will my conveyancing solicitor liaise with the removal company on the day of completion. As an aside, can you recommend a removal company in Keynsham. Conveyancing firm was chosen before I stumbled across this website.
On the day of completion you will need to collect the keys from the estate agent but this should only happen after the sellers lawyers confirm to the agent that the monies to complete are in and the keys can be passed over. Subsequently you should advise the removal men that you are ready to move in. We are not in a position to recommend a particular removal organisation but can assist you in finding a residential property solicitor in Keynsham or a lawyer with expertise in conveyancing in Keynsham.
I currently have a mortgage with Skipton for my property in Keynsham. Conveyancing was finalised months ago. Should I wish to rent out my property and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a BTL mortgage or inform Skipton?
Your original mortgage agreement with Skipton will provide that you need their approval before renting your property as this is likely to be a breach of Skipton’s mortgage conditions. It may be that Skipton will allow you to rent out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact Skipton directly. It should not be necessary to do this via a Skipton conveyancing panel lawyer.
I opted to have a survey done on a house in Keynsham prior to appointing solicitors. I have been informed that there is a flying freehold aspect to the house. The surveyor advised that some lenders tend refuse to give a mortgage on this type of premises.
It depends who your proposed lender is. Santander has different requirements from Birmingham Midshires. Should you wish to call us we can investigate further via the appropriate mortgage company. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Keynsham. Conveyancing may be slightly more expensive based on your lender's requirements.
I have been sourcing a conveyancing lawyer in Keynsham for my house move. Is there any facility to review a firm’s complaints history with the profession’s regulator?
Anyone can see documented Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) decisions stemming from inquisitions from 2008 onwards. Visit Check a solicitor's record. To find records about the period before 1 January 2008, or to check a solicitors record, call 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 any week day save for Tuesday when lines open at 9.30am. For callers outside the UK, dial +44 (0)121 329 6800. The regulator sometimes recorded telephone calls for training reasons.