We are purchasing a 3 bedroom apartment in Oxted with a mortgage. We like our Oxted lawyer, however the bank advise she’s not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the mortgage company panel firms or keep our Oxted lawyer and pay for one of their panel ones to represent them. This feels very unfair; is there anything we can do?
No, not really. Your mortgage offer 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 Oxted conveyancing lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.
We are aiming to move property in February. Does my conveyancing solicitor communicate with the removal company on the completion day. Incidentally, can you suggest a removal company in Oxted. Conveyancing solicitor was found prior to coming across this page.
On the day of completion you will need to collect the house keys from your property agent however this can only happen when the sellers solicitors confirm to the agent that they have the completion monies and the keys can be given over. After that you can advise the removal men that you are ready to move in. We are not in a position to suggest a particular removal company but can help you choose a conveyancing in Oxted or a solicitor with expertise in conveyancing in Oxted.
Are all Oxted Conveyancing Quality Solicitors on the Co-operative conveyancing list of approved solicitors?
A selection of lenders now use the accreditation scheme as the kick off point for Panel membership such as HSBC and Santander. The Law Society’s CQS accreditation however gives no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. That being said,the Council of Mortgage Lenders have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for solicitors wishing to remain on their approved list of conveyancing solicitors.
When it comes to mortgage companies such as Barclays, do Oxted conveyancing practitioners face a yearly amount to be on the list of approved solicitors?
We are unaware of any bank fees to be on their list of approved firms, although some do charge an administration charge to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel submission.
My wife and I are close to exchanging contracts on the sale of our home in Oxted and the buyers lawyers are claiming that there is a risk of it being built land that was not decontaminated. A high street Oxted lawyer would know this is not the case. It does beg the question why the buyers instructed a factory type conveyancing outfit as opposed to a conveyancing solicitor in Oxted. We have lived in Oxted for many years we know of no issue. Should we contact our local Authority to seek confirmation that the buyers are looking for.
It would appear that you have a conveyancing lawyer already. What do they say? You should check with your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out health insurance to cover that same sickness)
My wife and I have a terraced Edwardian property in Oxted. Conveyancing lawyer acted for me and Barnsley Building Society. I did a free Land Registry search last week and there are two entries: the first freehold, another for leasehold with the exact same address. I'd like to know for sure, how can I find out??
You should review the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Oxted and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they mortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with lenders. You can also check the situation with the conveyancing solicitor who conducted the purchase.
Due to the guidance of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a property in Oxted in advance of retaining solicitors. I have been told that there is a flying freehold element to the property. My surveyor has said that some banks will not give a loan on such a home.
It depends who your proposed lender is. Santander has different requirements for example to Halifax. If you e-mail us we can look into this further with the relevant mortgage company. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Oxted. Conveyancing can be more complicated and therefore you should check with your conveyancing solicitor in Oxted to see if the conveyancing costs will increase in light of this.
We're FTB’s - agreed a price, yet the property agent told us that the vendor will only move forward if we instruct the agent's preferred lawyers as they are insisting on an ‘expedited deal’. My instinct tells me that we should use a local conveyancer accustomed to conveyancing in Oxted
It is highly unlikely the vendors are driving this. Should the seller want ‘a quick sale', taking such a hostile approach to a motivated buyer is likely to cause more damage than good. Speak to the vendors direct and make the point that (a)you are keen to buy (b)you are excited to move forward, with finances arranged © you have nothing to sell (d) you intend to proceed fast (e)however you will continue to use your own,trusted Oxted conveyancing solicitors - rather thanthe ones that will provide the estate agent a kickback or meet his conveyancing figures pre-set by head office.