What does my ID and proof of funds have anything to do with my conveyancing in Putney? Is this really warranted?
You are right in these requests have nothing to do with conveyancing in Putney. Nowadays you can not proceed with any conveyancing process if you have not handing over proof of your identity. Ordinarily this takes the form of a either your passport or driving licence and a utility bill. Please note that if you are providing your driving licence as evidence of ID it needs to be both the paper part and photo card part, one is not acceptable without the other.
Verification of your source of money is necessary under Money Laundering Regulations. Don’t be offended when you are asked to produce this as your conveyancer will need to have this information on record. Your Putney conveyancing practitioner will need to see evidence of proof of funds before they are able to accept any monies from you into their client account and they may also ask additional questions regarding the origin of funds.
Please help - my lawyer says that flying freehold insurance is required on my purchase. What is the typical level of cover needed for conveyancing in Putney?
The right level of flying freehold indemnity insurance should be dictated by who your lender. It would differ for example between Halifax and Skipton Building Society. Conveyancing practitioners as opposed to borrowers take out such policies.
We have agreed to purchase a house in Putney. One unusual aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Principality have issued a mortgage offer so presumably this is not a concern to them. Why is my solicitor raising questions about the panel?
As you are obtaining a mortgage with Principality your lawyer must follow the conveyancing requirements set out in Section 2 of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Principality. The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook includes minimum specifications for solar panel roof-space leases, and solicitors are required to report to Principality where a lease fails to comply with these conditions. The specifications relate to the installation of panels on properties in England and Wales and is not restricted to Putney.
Completion of my remortgage has taken place for my property in Putney. Conveyancing was a necessary evil but I feel I should register my dissatisfaction about the lender. How do I make a complaint?
Almost all banks and building societies have complaints procedures. Your first point of contact should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Care Department at head office. In most cases complaints to a lender are sorted out very quickly. If you feel the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service who will take matters further.
I used Wolstenholmes a few years ago for my conveyancing in Putney. Now, I need the documents but cannot find the solicitor. What do I do?
Do 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 Putney of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously retained, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.
I opted to have a survey done on a house in Putney ahead of retaining lawyers. I have been advised that there is a flying freehold aspect to the house. Our surveyor advised that some banks tend refuse to give a mortgage on this type of 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 assist as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Putney. Conveyancing may be slightly more expensive based on your lender's requirements.
What tools are available to locate a Putney solicitor on the Birmingham Midshires conveyancing panel? I have a car and am happy to travel upto 20miles to meet the lawyer.
You can use the search on this website. Please pick a mortgage company and your location and you will see a number of Putney conveyancing lawyers located nearest you. We have listed some Putney conveyancing firms towards the end of this page and you can ring them to see whether they are on the Birmingham Midshires member panel
We are midway through purchasing a house in Putney. Conveyancing solicitor has called to say the title is "Leasehold". Does this make a difference on the marketability of the house?
Putney conveyancing does not usually involve leasehold houses. The main consideration here is the remaining lease term and the ground rent. If there are hundred of years years remaining with a peppercorn rent, it's almost the same as freehold, so it’s unlikely to affect the saleability significantly.
At the other extreme, if it's, say, fifty five years it is bound to have a material effect on the value, and most likely wouldn't be acceptable to the lender. The length of lease and ground rent will be set out in the lease provided to your solicitor.