Please explain the implications if my lawyer’s firm is expelled from the TSB Conveyancing panel ahead of completing my conveyancing in Rocester?
First, this is very unlikely to happen. In most cases even where a law firm is removed off of a panel the lender would allow the completion to go ahead as the lender would appreciate the difficulties that they would place you in if you have to instruct a new solicitor days before completion. In a worst case scenario where the lender insists that you instruct a new firm then it is possible for a very good lawyer to expedite the conveyancing albeit that you may pay a significant premium for this. The analogous situation is where a buyer instructs a lawyer, exchanges contracts and the law firm is shut down by a regulator such as the SRA. Again, in this situation you can find lawyers who can troubleshoot their way to bring the conveyancing to a satisfactory conclusion - albeit for a fee.
My wife and I are purchasing a property in Rocester. It might be a silly question but how we can trust a solicitor? At some point we will need to send money into their account. What protection do we have from them run away with our monies?
Be assured that all money in a Solicitors client account is 100% safe, and even if your Solicitor ran off with it, the Law Society would reimburse you fully.
My wife and I are spending time viewing apartments in Rocester and I am about to put in an offer. Should I already have a conveyancer in place at this stage? I am planning to take a mortgage with RBS.
It would be advisable to commence your search sooner rather than later. Once you decide who you want to use and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and pass their details on to the EA. As you are seeking a mortgage with RBS, make sure you remember to check that your lawyer is on the RBS conveyancing panel.
Having read lots of house buying guides, I note that they all recommend that you should get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Rocester solicitor - who is on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. Is that normal?
Kent Reliance will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Kent Reliance will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. You may wish to consider appointing your own Rocester surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller.
We are downsizing from our home in Rocester and according to the buyers it appears that there is a risk of it being constructed on contaminated land. Any high street Rocester lawyer would know this is not the case. For the life of me I don't know why the buyers are using an online conveyancing outfit rather than a conveyancing solicitor in Rocester. We have lived in Rocester for 5 years we know that this is a non issue. Should we get in touch with our local Authority to seek clarification that the buyers are looking for.
It would appear that you have a conveyancing solicitor already. Are they able to advise? You need to 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 life insurance to cover that same illness)
Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly identified as part of conveyancing in Rocester?
Restrictive covenants can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the legal transfer of property in Rocester. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’
I am purchasing a new build house in Rocester benefiting from help to buy. The sellers refused to move on the price so I negotiated 6k of extras instead. The estate agent advised me not reveal to my conveyancer about the deal as it may jeopardize my loan with the lender. Is this normal?.
All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the builder 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.
My company is intending to lease a unit on the high street. Can you recommend solicitors offering competitive charges for commercial conveyancing in Rocester for less than £2000?
We are happy to recommend firms who host a wealth of experience of commercial conveyancing in Rocester, including the sale and acquisition of businesses as well as simply property. Whether you are intending to buy or sell a shop, pub, restaurant, office, retail premises or a whole business we can put you in touch with the right solicitor. Regarding the fees this will depend on the structure and heads of terms of the proposed transaction. Let us have your contact information or telephone so as to enable us to furnish you with a detailed commercial conveyancing calculation.