Is the fact that my solicitor in Lancaster is not listed on my mortgage company's solicitor panel that there is a problem with the quality of the firm’s conveyancing?
It would not be wise to jump to that conclusion. There are plenty of reasonable explanations. A recent report by the solicitors regulator revealed 76% 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 lawyer is a sole practitioner (3) as part of the HSBC panel reduction (4) regulatory contact by SRA (5) accidental removal. Where you are concerned you should simply call the Lancaster conveyancing firm and enquire why they are no longer on the approved list for your lender.
Are the BSA intent on creating a searchable register to to identify firms on the Earl Shilton BS conveyancing panel for example in Lancaster?
We would not expect to be advised of any intention on the part of the BSA to develop such a tool.
Is it the case that all Lancaster CQS (Conveyancing Quality Scheme) solicitors are on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel?
A selection of lenders now use the accreditation scheme as the starting point for Panel membership such as HSBC and Santander. CQS accreditation however is no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. That being said,the CML have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for solicitor practices wishing to remain on their approved list of conveyancing solicitors.
is it true that all Lancaster solicitor practices on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel are governed by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority?
As solicitors, in order to be on the Clydesdale approved list of solicitors they would need to be governed by the SRA. Many banks do allow licenced conveyancers on their panel and in that case the organisation would be regulated by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.
We are getting a further advance on our home loan from Nottingham as we wish to conduct renovations to our property in Lancaster. Do we need to select a high street Lancaster solicitor on the Nottingham conveyancing panel to deal with the legals?
Nottingham would not normally instruct firms on their approved list of lawyers to handle such a matter. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Nottingham panel.
What does a local search reveal concerning the house we're purchasing in Lancaster?
Lancaster conveyancing often starts with the submitting local authority searches directly from your local Authority or through a personal search company for instance Xpress Legal The local search is essential in every Lancaster conveyancing purchase; that is if you wish to avoid any unpleasant surprises after you move into your property. The search should supply data on, amongst other things, details on planning applications relevant to the property (whether granted or refused), building control history, any enforcement action, restrictions on permitted development, nearby road schemes, contaminated land and radon gas; in all a total of thirteen topic areas.
I'm purchasing my first flat in Lancaster with the aid of help to buy. The sellers refused to budge the price so I negotiated 6k of additionals instead. The sale representative advised me not disclose to my conveyancer about this extras as it may jeopardize my mortgage with the lender. Is this normal?.
All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the developer 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.
Due to the input of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a house in Lancaster prior to retaining solicitors. I have been told that there is a flying freehold overhang to the house. Our surveyor advised that some lenders will not issue a loan on such a premises.
It depends who your proposed lender is. Lloyds has different instructions for example to Halifax. Should you wish to telephone us we can look into this further via the relevant mortgage company. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Lancaster. Conveyancing may be slightly more expensive based on your lender's requirements.