Is the fact that my solicitor in Luton is not identified on my lender's solicitor panel that there is a problem with the quality of her work?
It would not be wise to jump to that conclusion. There are plenty of plausible explanations. A recent report by the solicitors regulator revealed 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 lawyer 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 Luton conveyancing practice and enquire why they are no longer on the approved list for your lender.
My brother-in-law has suggested I instruct a conveyancing solicitor in Luton. I I am struggling to find out whether they are accepted on the Barclays Direct approved list of lawyers. Can you assist?
You should e-mail the lawyer and enquire if they can act for the bank. Alternatively you can get in touch with Barclays Direct who may be able to assist.
My husband and I are in the throws of viewing flats in Luton and I am now considering a potential offer. Is it best to have my conveyancer on ‘stand by’? I am planning to take a mortgage with Nationwide.
You should start requesting conveyancing estimates from solicitors ASAP. Once you decide who you want to use and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and pass their details on to the selling agent. Given that you are obtaining a mortgage with Nationwide, ask your prospective lawyers if they are on the Nationwide conveyancing panel otherwise they can't do the mortgage legal work.
I have a mortgage with Leeds Building Society for my property in Luton. Conveyancing has been completed some time ago. In the event that I decide to rent out the flat and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a buy-to-let mortgage or inform Leeds Building Society?
Leeds Building Society must be informed of your intention before renting your property as this is likely to be a breach of Leeds Building Society’s mortgage conditions. It may be that Leeds Building Society 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 Leeds Building Society directly. It should not be necessary to do this via a Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel solicitor.
After what seems like an age I have had an offer on a maisonette in Luton accepted, but there is a chain. The sellers have placed an offer on a flat, however it’s not been accepted yet, and are looking at other apartments booked. I have instructed a bricks and mortar conveyancing solicitor in Luton. What should be my next step? When do I get the mortgage application with RBS going?
It is understandable to have anxieties where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to be too out of pocket too early (home loan application is approx £1k, then valuation, Luton conveyancing search charges, etc). First, you must ensure that your conveyancing practitioner is on the RBS conveyancing panel. As to the next phase this very much dictated by the circumstances of your transaction, desire for this property and on the state of the market. During a buoyant market many purchasers would apply for a home loan with RBS and arrange for the valuation and only if it comes back ok would they ask their conveyancer to proceed with searches.
I have recentlybecome aware that Action Conveyancing have closed. They conducted my conveyancing in Luton for a purchase of a leasehold flat 12 months ago. How can I establish that the property is in my name in the name of the former proprietor?
The easiest way to check if the property is registered to you, you can make a search of the land registry (£3.00). You can either do this yourself or ask a law firm to do this for you. If you are not registered you can seek help from one of a number of Luton conveyancing specialists.
I'm buying my first flat in Luton with the aid of help to buy. The sellers would not reduce the amount so I negotiated 6k of extras instead. The property agent suggested that I not reveal to my solicitor about this deal as it would impact my loan with Barnsley Building Society. 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.
My cousin has suggested that I use his lawyers for conveyancing in Luton. Should I use them?
Much as we are happy to recommend a Luton conveyancing lawyer the best way to select a conveyancing practitioner is to have feedback from friends or relatives who have actually previously instructed the conveyancer you're are thinking of instructing.