My wife and I are buying a 1 bedroom flat in Sacriston with a mortgage. We like our Sacriston solicitor, but the lender says he's not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the lender panel conveyancing practices or continue with our Sacriston lawyer and pay for one of their panel firms to act for them. This seems very unfair; can we not require that the lender use our Sacriston solicitor ?
Unfortunately,no. The mortgage offered to you 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. A further alternative is for your Sacriston conveyancing solicitor to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.
My husband and I are nearing an exchange on a flat in Sacriston and my parents have sent the ten percent deposit to my conveyancer. I am now told that as the deposit has not come from me my solicitor needs to disclose this to my mortgage company. Apparently, in also acting for the mortgage company he must advise them that the balance of the purchase price is coming from anyone other than me. I advised the lender about my parents' contribution when I applied for the mortgage, so is it really appropriate for this now to be an issue?
The conveyancing practitioner is legally required to clarify with mortgage company to make sure that they know that the balance of the purchase price is not from your own funds. The solicitor can only report this to your bank if you permit them to, failing which, your lawyer must cease to continue acting.
In what way does my ID and proof of funds have anything to do with my conveyancing in Sacriston? What am I being asked for?
It is indeed that case that these requests have nothing to do with conveyancing in Sacriston. However these days you can not proceed with any conveyancing deal without first supplying proof of your identity. Ordinarily this takes the form of a either your passport or driving licence and a bank statement. Please note that if you are supplying your driving licence as evidence of ID it must be both the paper section and photo card part, one is not acceptable in the absence of the other.
Verification of the source of monies is necessary in accordance with the Money Laundering Regulations. Don’t be offended when when this is requested of you as your lawyer must have this information on file. Your Sacriston conveyancing solicitor will require evidence of proof of funds prior to accepting any funds from you into their client account and they should also ask further questions regarding the source of monies.
I am the single recipient of my late father’s estate and I have everything in my name alone, including the house in Sacriston. Conveyancing formalities meant that the Land Registry date was in January. I now wish to sell up. I do know about the Mortgage Lenders six month 'rule', which means that my property ownership could be considered the same way as if I'd bought the property in January. Will no one buy the property for half a year?
The CML handbook instructs solicitors to: "report to us immediately if the owner or registered proprietor has been registered for less than six months." By the strict wording you may be impacted by that. Most lenders would take a practical view as this requirement is principally there to capture subsales or the wholesaling and assigning of property.
Completion of my purchase has taken place for my property in Sacriston. Conveyancing was satisfactory but I feel I should register my dissatisfaction about the lender. How do I make a complaint?
All banks and building societies have complaints procedures. Your first port of call should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Care Team at head office. We understand that complaints to a lender are sorted out very quickly. However if you are not satisfied that the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service who will take matters further.
My sealed bid on a property in Sacriston has been agreed to, but there is a chain. The sellers have placed an offer on somewhere, however it’s not yet agreed to, and have viewings of other apartments booked. I have instructed a bricks and mortar conveyancing solicitor in Sacriston. What do I do now? At what stage should I apply for the mortgage with Skipton?
It is normal to have apprehensions where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to incur expenses too early (mortgage application is approx one thousand pounds, then valuation, Sacriston conveyancing search costs, etc). The first thing to do is check that your property lawyer is on the Skipton approved list. As to the next phase this very much dictated by the specifics of your case, motivation for the property and on the state of the market. During a hot market some home buyers will apply for the mortgage with Skipton and pay for the valuation and only if it was satisfactory would they pay their solicitor to proceed with the conveyancing in Sacriston.
In what way does the Landlord & Tenant Act 1954 affect my commercial offices in Sacriston and how can your lawyers assist?
The particular law that you refer to affords a safeguard to business lessees, giving them the legal entitlement to apply to court for a continuation of occupancy at the end of the lease term. There are limited grounds where a landlord can refrain from granting a lease renewal and the rules are complicated. Fees are different for commercial conveyancing. Sacriston is one of the many locations in which our lawyers are located
I am looking for a conveyancing solicitor in Sacriston for my house move. Is it possible to review a firm’s record with the legal regulator?
You can read documented Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) determinations arising from inquisitions from 2008 onwards. Go to Check a solicitor's record. For records Pre 2008, or to check a solicitors record, 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 SRA sometimes recorded call for training requirements.