My husband and I are hoping to buy a 1 bedroom flat in Mapperley with a mortgage. We have a Mapperley solicitor, however the bank says he's not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the mortgage company panel solicitors or continue with our Mapperley conveyancing practitioner as well as pay for one of their panel lawyers to act for them. This feels very unfair; can we not insist that the mortgage company use our Mapperley lawyer ?
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. Another option that might be available is for your Mapperley conveyancing lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.
How can we tell if a Mapperley conveyancing solicitor on the Santander panel is any good?
When it comes to conveyancing in Mapperley seeking recommendations is a good starting point. Before you go ahead, check if they offer a no sale no fee offer. Also, you often get what you pay for - a firm which quotes more, will often provide a better service than one which is cheap as chips. We would always advise that you speak with the solicitor handling your transaction.
I recently had an offer accepted on a house in Mapperley. My mortgage broker suggested a property lawyer. I paid an advanced payment of £150. A couple of days later, the conveyancer contacted me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the Barclays conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?
You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Barclays panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.
My offer on a semi in Mapperley has been agreed to, but there is a chain. The owners have put an offer on on an apartment, but it’s not been accepted yet, and are looking at other apartments booked. I have instructed a nearby conveyancing solicitor in Mapperley. What do I do now? At what point should I apply for the mortgage with Aldermore?
It is usual to have concerns where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to be too out of pocket too early (mortgage application is in the region of £1k, then survey, Mapperley conveyancing search costs, etc). First, you should ensure that your solicitor is on the Aldermore conveyancing panel. Regarding the subsequent stages this very much dictated by the circumstances of your transaction, motivation for this property and on the state of the market. During a rising market the majority of buyers would apply for the mortgage with Aldermore and arrange for the valuation and only if it was satisfactory would they ask their lawyer to press on with the conveyancing in Mapperley.
My friend suggested that if I am purchasing in Mapperley I should ask my conveyancer to perform a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?
A search of this type is occasionally quoted for as part of the standard Mapperley conveyancing searches. It is a large report of about 40 pages, listing and detailing significant information about Mapperley around the property and the people living there. It incorporates an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the local Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the type of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average Property Price, Crime statistics, Mapperley Education with plans and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data regarding Mapperley.
I've recently found out that there is a flying freehold element on a property I have offered on last month in what should have been a straight forward, no chain conveyancing. Mapperley is where the house is located. Can you offer any guidance?
Flying freeholds in Mapperley are unusual but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even though you don't necessarily need a conveyancing solicitor in Mapperley you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds very carefully. Your mortgage company may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Mapperley may determine that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold property.
In my capacity as executor for the will of my grandmother I am disposing of a house in Cardiff but live in Mapperley. My solicitor (who is 300 miles awayhas requested that I execute a statutory declaration prior to the transaction finalising. Could you suggest a conveyancing lawyer in Mapperley who can witness this legal document for me?
strictly speaking you are not likely to need to have the documents attested by a conveyancing solicitor. Ordinarily or notary public or solicitor will be fine regardless of whether they are Mapperley based
We are seeking to buy a repossessed house in Mapperley and the mortgagee in possession would like to complete within a month. Can a conveyancer complete in this timeframe? Am I best advised to instruct a local Mapperley firm or an online organisation that advertises to offer speedy conveyancing?
Visit your Mapperley high street. Go in to a couple of solicitor’s offices and request to see a conveyancing solicitor for a quote. Explain your requirements and get a commitment on deadlines. Select the one that seems most genuine. You need to use a property lawyer on the panel of solicitors acceptable to your mortgage company.