My wife and I are intending to purchase a 1 bedroom flat in Lewisham with a mortgage. We wish to retain our Lewisham conveyancer, but the lender says she’s not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the mortgage company panel conveyancing practices or continue with our Lewisham solicitor and pay for one of their panel ones to act for them. We regard this is inequitable; are we not able to insist that the mortgage company use our Lewisham conveyancer ?
No, not really. The mortgage offered to you is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the lender’s conveyancing panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. A further alternative is for your Lewisham conveyancing solicitor to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.
I am buying a new build flat in Lewisham. Can I do my own conveyancing?
Leaving aside the complexities and merits of DIY conveyancing in Lewisham you will have to appoint a solicitor on your bank'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 Lewisham.
We previously appointed solicitors located in Lewisham on the Barclays solicitor panel. They are now charging me a supplemental charge for the legal aspects of the Barclays mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee specified by Barclays?
As unfair as it may appear, as long as it’s in their Terms and Conditions or Quote then yes your lawyer can charge a fee for this. This charge is not set by Barclays but by your Lewisham solicitor. Numerous firms on the Barclays panel will quote an ‘acting for lender’ fee but many practices include it on their overall fee.
My wife and I have organised a further advance on our home loan from RBS as we want to carry out renovations to our house in Lewisham. Are we obliged to select a nearby Lewisham solicitor on the RBS conveyancing panel to handle the paperwork?
RBS don't usually require firms on their conveyancing panel to deal with such a matter. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the RBS list.
Two weeks ago we had a mortgage agreed in principle with Nottingham. Lewisham conveyancing practitioners are appointed. What is the average time that one could expect to receive a mortgage offer from Nottingham?
There is no definitive answer here. Have Nottingham done the survey? Have you advised Nottingham as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the Nottingham conveyancing panel? Sometimes it can take as long as six weeks for a mortgage offer to be issued.
Am I better off to choose a Lewisham conveyancing practitioner in close proximity to the house I am buying? I have an old university friend who can deal with the conveyancing but her office is over three hundred miles away.
The primary upside of using a local Lewisham conveyancing practice is that you can visit the firm to sign documents, hand in your ID and pester them where appropriate. Having local Lewisham know how is a plus. However nothing is more important than finding someone that will pull out all the stops for you. If you know people who instructed your friend and in the main were content that must trump using an unfamiliar Lewisham conveyancing solicitor solely due to them being round the corner.
I today plan to offer on a house that seems to tick a lot of boxes, at a reasonable figure which is making it more attractive. I have subsequently discovered that it's a leasehold rather than freehold. I would have thought that there are issues purchasing a house with a leasehold title in Lewisham. Conveyancing lawyers have are soon to be appointed. Will they explain the issues?
The majority of houses in Lewisham are freehold and not leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local solicitor who is familiar with the area who can help the conveyancing process. It is clear that you are buying in Lewisham in which case you should be shopping around for a Lewisham conveyancing practitioner and check that they have experience in transacting on leasehold houses. As a matter of priority you will need to check the unexpired lease term. Being a tenant you will not be at liberty to do whatever you want to the property. The lease will likely included provisions such as requiring the landlord’spermission to conduct changes to the property. It may be necessary to pay a contribution towards the upkeep of the estate where the property is located on an estate. Your conveyancer will appraise you on the various issues.
I have tried to negotiate informally with with my landlord to extend my lease without getting anywhere. Can the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal adjudicate on such issues? Can you recommend a Lewisham conveyancing firm to help?
You certainly can. We are happy to put you in touch with a Lewisham conveyancing firm who can help.
An example of a Lease Extension matter before the tribunal for a Lewisham flat is 73 Walerand Road in August 2012. the result of the findings of the Tribunal led to a premium to be paid for the extended lease in respect of Flat 73 in the sum of £10,040. The premium applicable in respect of Flat 85 was £5,710. This case affected 2 flats. The unexpired lease term was 72 years.
We had our mortgage approved on Monday with our bank. We have retained a long established conveyancer in Lewisham yesterday. A couple of hours ago, our broker called to say that the bank said that we cannot use our solicitor as they aren't on their 'approved list'. As FTB's, we had no idea that the lender had some control over our choice Is this allowed?
You are permitted to use any lawyer you prefer to choose including the said conveyancer in Lewisham however if your lender aren't happy with them you will have to fork out an extra fee so your lender can instruct their own lawyers. It may be possible your preferred conveyancing firm to get included on to the lender panel. You can use web-based search facilities such as lenderpanel.com to find a conveyancing solcitor in Lewisham on the lender panel. You can go into your local bank branch in Lewisham. They can recommend conveyancing solicitors in Lewisham on the lender panel.