My fiance and I are planning to acquire a flat in Manningtree and have instructed a Manningtree conveyancing practice. Within the last couple of days our solicitor has forwarded the sale agreement to be signed with a detailed report with the expectation that exchange is imminent. Bank of Scotland have this evening contacted us to advise us that they have now hit a problem as our Manningtree conveyancer is not on their approved list of lawyers. What do we do from here?
If you are buying a property with the assistance of a mortgage it is standard for the purchasers' lawyers to also act for the purchaser's lender. In order to act for a bank or building society a law firm has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the law firm to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the firm has to satisfy and indeed some lenders now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Accreditation Scheme. Your solicitor should contact your mortgage company and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own solicitors to act. You don't have to instruct a firm on the bank's conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own Manningtree solicitors, in which case it will likely add costs, and it may delay matters as you have another set of people involved.
Would the conveyancing solicitors that are recommend handle auction conveyancing in Manningtree?
There are a number of niche practitioners we can connect you with those conducting auction conveyancing. Manningtree is just one of the many locations where our lawyers have a presence.
It is is a decade since I bought my house in Manningtree. Conveyancing solicitors have just been instructed on the sale but I can't locate the title deeds. Is this a problem?
You need not be too concerned. First the deeds may be with your mortgage company or they could be in the possession of the conveyancers who oversaw the purchase. Secondly the chances are that the land will be registered at the land registry and you will be able to prove you own the property by your conveyancing lawyers acquiring current official copies of the land registers. The vast majority of conveyancing in Manningtree involves registered property but in the unlikely event that your home is not registered it adds to the complexity but is not insurmountable.
Will my conveyancing lawyers need to check that the building insurance when buying a house in Manningtree. My lender is Nationwide Building Society
Nationwide Building Society have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook. As of 26/7/2024, the requirements read as follows :
How does conveyancing in Manningtree differ for newly converted properties?
Most buyers of new build or newly converted property in Manningtree come to us having been asked by the developer to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the property is completed. This is because house builders in Manningtree usually acquire the land, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct conveyancers as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are accustomed to new build conveyancing in Manningtree or who has acted in the same development.
My folks are encountering problems in finding their Manningtree land registry title on the website. They recall that 48 years ago when they acquired the house there were complications with Manningtree not being recognised in some systems.
The vast majority of premises in Manningtree should show up. Have you endevoured to search to just the postcode. Usually it should disclose all the houses and flats inside that postcode. Assuming the property is registered it will be there with a title number. If they bought sixty years ago it's conceivable it may be unrecorded. The address may still be revealed but with the title number shown 'na'. In this scenario you will need to find the original title papers which may be with your parent’s mortgage company.