Me and my partner are planning to purchase a 1 bedroom apartment in Mottingham with a mortgage. We have a Mottingham solicitor, however the bank advise he's not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the mortgage company panel conveyancing practices or continue with our Mottingham property lawyer as well as pay for one of their panel firms to represent them. This feels very unfair; is there anything we can do?
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 bank’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 Mottingham conveyancing solicitor to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.
Last April we completed a house move in Mottingham. We have noticed several issues with the property which we believe were omitted in the conveyancing searches. Is there anything we can do? What searches should? have been ordered as part of conveyancing in Mottingham?
It is not clear from the question as what problems have arisen and if they are specific to conveyancing in Mottingham. Conveyancing searches and due diligence undertaken as part of the legal transfer of property are supposed to help avoid problems. As part of the legal transfer of property, a property owner completes a questionnaire known as a SPIF. answers turns out to be incorrect, then you may have a claim against the owner for any losses that you have suffered. The survey should have identified any problems with the structure of the property. Assuming a detailed survey was carried out and the issues were not identified, you may have a claim against the surveyor. However, if you did not have a full survey, you may be responsible for fixing any defects that have now been noted. We would always encourage buyers to take every possible step to ensure they are completely aware of the condition of a property before purchase regardless of whether they are buying in Mottingham.
We see that you have a post code search directory identifying firms on the TSB conveyancing panel. Do firms pay you a commission if I appoint them for our conveyancing in Mottingham?
We are a listing service only for law firms wishing to communicate if they are on the TSB conveyancing panel or other lender panels. We do not charge referral fees to any conveyancer that you subsequently appoint for your conveyancing in Mottingham.
My flat in Mottingham is up for sale and I have accepted an offer. Will the conveyancing practitioner have to be on the RBS conveyancing panel in order to deal with the discharge of my mortgage?
Ordinarily, even if your lawyer is not on the RBS conveyancing panel they can still act for you on your sale. It might be that the lender will not release the original deeds (if applicable and increasingly irrelevant) until after the mortgage is paid off. You should speak to your lawyer directly before you start the process though to ensure that there is no problem as lenders are changing their conditions fairly frequently in recent years.
I got the keys to my home on 5 August and the transaction details is not yet on the land registry website. Should I be concerned? My conveyancing solicitor in Mottingham advises it will be recorded inside ten days. Are titles in Mottingham particularly slow to register?
There is nothing unique about conveyancing in Mottingham registration formalities. As opposed to being determined by geographic area, timescales can differ subject to the party submitting the application, whether there are errors and whether the Land registry need to notify any third parties. Currently in the region of 80% of submission are fully dealt with in less than three weeks but some can be subject to protracted hold-ups. Registration is effected once the purchaser is living at the property so 'speed' is not always primary concern but where it is urgent that the the registration takes place urgently then you or your conveyancer should speak with the land registry and explain the circumstances.
How does conveyancing in Mottingham differ for new build properties?
Most buyers of new build residence in Mottingham come to us having been asked by the seller to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the house is constructed. This is because house builders in Mottingham tend to buy the real estate, 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 conveyancing solicitors 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 used to new build conveyancing in Mottingham or who has acted in the same development.