I am progressing with the sale of my apartment in Ramsgate and the EA has just text me to warn that the buyers are changing their solicitor. The reason given is that the mortgage company will only deal with solicitors on their conveyancing panel. Why would a leading mortgage company only work with certain solicitors rather the firm that they want to select for their conveyancing in Ramsgate ?
Banks have always had panels of law firms they are willing to work with, but in the past few years big names such as Santander, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have represented them for more than 15 years.
Banks point to the increase in fraud as the reason for the cull – criteria have been stiffened as a smaller panel is easier to maintain. Banks tend not to disclose how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society says it is being contacted daily by practices that have been removed from panels. Some do not even realise they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyers' case. The buyers are not going to have any impact on this.
We were just about to exchange contracts for a property in Ramsgate. We have hit a stumbling block. The mortgage offer with Halifax runs out on 2/9/2026 but the owners are insisting on a completion date of 4/9/2026. Is it possible to extend the mortgage expiry date?
The person best placed to deal with your question is your lawyer who is in a position to calculate if he or she is better off negotiating with the mortgage broker, seller’s solicitors, property agents or conceivably all parties based on the history of your conveyancing as of today.
Is there a search tool that I can use to investigate if the solicitor conducting my conveyancing in Ramsgate is on the mortgage lender’sapproved panel? I am looking to avoid the situation of having one lawyer for me and one for Barnsley Building Society thus paying £187.00 plus VAT in supplemental conveyancing invoice.
Please do make the most of the find a lender approved solicitor tool on this web page. Pick the mortgage company and type ‘Ramsgate’ or your location and you will see a number of lawyer offices in Ramsgate or near you.
I am buying my first flat in Ramsgate benefiting from help to buy. The sellers refused to move on the amount so I negotiated 6k of extras instead. The house builders rep advised me not inform my conveyancer about this deal as it could jeopardize my loan with the bank. Should I keep quiet?.
All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the developer of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.
Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.
Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.
I am looking for a conveyancing solicitor in Ramsgate for my house move. Can I see a solicitor's complaints history with the legal regulator?
You may read documented Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) decisions stemming from inquisitions from 2008 onwards. Visit Check a solicitor's record. To find information Pre 2008, or to check a firm's history, phone 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and 09.30 - 18.00 Tuesday. For callers outside the UK, dial +44 (0)121 329 6800. The regulator may monitor telephone calls for training reasons.
Estate agents have just been given the go-ahead to market my garden flat in Ramsgate.Conveyancing is yet to be initiated but I have recently received a yearly maintenance charge demand – should I leave it to the buyer to sort out?
It best that you discharge the service charge as normal as all rents and maintenance payments will be allottedon completion, so you will be reimbursed by the buyer for the period running from after the completion date to the subsequent invoice date. Most managing agents will not acknowledge the buyer unless the service charges have been paid and are up to date so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. This will smooth the conveyancing process