I am 3 weeks into the sale of my home in Rochdale and the estate agent has just telephoned to advise that the buyers are swapping solicitor. The excuse is that the bank will only deal with solicitors on their conveyancing panel. Why would a leading mortgage company only engage with specific lawyers rather the firm that they want to select to handle their conveyancing in Rochdale ?
Mortgage companies have always had an approved set of law firms that can represent them, but in the last 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 decades.
Mortgage companies point to the increase in fraud by way of justification for the pruning – criteria have been stiffened as a smaller panel is easier to keep an eye on. Banks tend not to reveal 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 unlikely to have any impact on this.
Forgive me if this question is silly but I am new to the home moving as FTB of a ground floor flat in Rochdale. Do I pick up the keys to the house on completion from my conveyancer? If so, I will appoint a High Street conveyancing solicitor in Rochdale?
There is no need to visit the lawyers office on the day of completion. Conveyancing lawyers for you will arrange to send the completion advance to the seller's solicitors, and once they have received this, you should be able to collect the keys from the Estate Agents and start moving into the property. Usually this happens early afternoon.
How can we tell if a Rochdale conveyancing solicitor on the Yorkshire BS panel is any good?
When it comes to conveyancing in Rochdale getting recommendations is a sensible starting point. Before you go ahead, check if they offer a no sale no fee offer. Also, you often get what you pay for - a firm which quotes more, will often provide a better service than one advertising the lowest fees. We would always advise that you speak with the lawyer carrying out your conveyancing.
My wife and I have arranged the release of further monies on our home loan from RBS as we intend to conduct renovations to our property in Rochdale. Do we need to appoint a local Rochdale solicitor on the RBS conveyancing panel to deal with the legals?
RBS would not normally require firms on their conveyancing panel to deal with such a matter. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the RBS panel.
A friend advised me that where I am purchasing in Rochdale I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. What does it cover?
This is a search is usually included in the estimate for your Rochdale conveyancing searches. It is not a small report of more than thirty pages, listing and setting out significant information about Rochdale around the property and the people living there. It includes an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the Rochdale Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the type of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average Property Price, Crime statistics, Rochdale Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data concerning Rochdale.
I used Action Conveyancing several years past for my conveyancing in Rochdale. I now require my papers but the law firm is no longer operating. 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 Rochdale of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously instructed, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.
How does conveyancing in Rochdale differ for new build properties?
Most buyers of new build or newly converted property in Rochdale come to us having been asked by the builder to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the residence is completed. This is because developers in Rochdale typically purchase the site, 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 conveyancers 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 accustomed to new build conveyancing in Rochdale or who has acted in the same development.
My husband and I are 3 weeks into a leasehold purchase having been recommend to a firm by the high street agent to perform conveyancing in Rochdale. I am not happy. Can you you assist me in finding new solicitors?
They would need to be really bad to suggest diss instructing them. Has your loan offer been generated? In the event that it has you will need to make them aware of the replacement solicitor and get the mortgage documents are re-sent. Your solicitor ideally should be on the mortgage company panel to avoid supplemental fees and delays. So that should be your starting point. The find a solicitor tool will help you find a bank approved conveyancer for your home move in Rochdale