I am selling my maisonette in Malden and the estate agent has just e-mailed to warn that the purchasers are appointing a new conveyancer. The excuse is that the mortgage company will only work with solicitors on their approved list. Why would a major mortgage company only deal with certain lawyers rather the firm that they want to choose to handle their conveyancing in Malden ?
Mortgage companies have always had panels of law firms that can represent them, but in recent years big names such as Lloyds Banking Group, have considered and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have worked with them for more than 15 years.
Lenders point to the increase in fraud by way of justification for the pruning – criteria have been narrowed as a smaller panel is easier to maintain. Banks tend not to reveal how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society says it is hearing daily from firms that have been removed from panels. Plenty of firms do not even realise they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyers' case. The purchasers are unlikely to have any sway in the decision.
The sellers of the house we are purchasing have appointed a conveyancing firm in Malden who has insisted on a exclusivity contract with a down payment two thousand pounds. Are such agreements sensible?
This form of arrangement is unusual in Malden, conveyancers are often inclined to veer clients away from them as they detract from focusing on the primary focus, namely conveyancing and if you end up losing your deposit then the lawyer at best left with an upset client and at worst a litigious one. Furthermore, there is no assurance that just because the seller has signed an exclusivity contract they will complete the sale with you. They may be in contravention of the contract if they are offered a large enough offer to do so because an aggrieved claimant with the benefit of a lockout agreement will still have to show losses as a consequence of the breach and these may not equate the extra amount that your vendor may secure by breaching the contract, however morally reprehensible the behaviour is.
We are purchasing a house and need a conveyancing solicitor in Malden who is on the Nationwide solicitor panel. Can you recommend a local conveyancing firm?
Our service is limited to being a directory service for firms who wish to be listed as being on the approved conveyancing panel for Nationwide . We don't recommend any particular firms conducting conveyancing in Malden.
We're in Malden, First timers purchasing with a mortgage (lender is TSB , and our lawyer is on the TSB conveyancing panel). How long should the conveyancing process take?
The fact that your lawyer is on the TSB conveyancing panel is a help. It would almost certainly delay matters if they were not. However, no lawyer should guarantee a timeframe for your conveyancing, due to third parties outside of your control such as delays caused by lenders,conveyancing search providers or by the other side’s solicitors. The time taken is often determined by the number of parties in a chain.
I used Action Conveyancing several years past for my conveyancing in Malden. Now, I need my files but the law firm has closed. What do I do?
You should contact the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to help locate your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Malden of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously used, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.
How can the Landlord & Tenant Act 1954 impact my business property in Malden and how can your lawyers assist?
The 1954 Act gives protection to business leaseholders, granting the legal entitlement to apply to court for a new lease and remain in occupation when the lease reaches an end. There are limited grounds that a landlord can refuse a lease renewal and the rules are involved. Fees are different for commercial conveyancing. Malden is one of the numerous areas of the UK in which the firms we work with have offices