It is is a decade since I purchased my house in Sefton. Conveyancing solicitors have now been retained on the sale but I can't find my deeds. Will this jeopardise the sale?
You need not be too concerned. First the deeds may be with the lender or they could still be with the conveyancers who handled your purchase. Secondly in most cases the property will be registered at the land registry and you will be able to establish that you are the registered owner by your conveyancing lawyers procuring up to date copy of the land registers. The vast majority of conveyancing in Sefton involves registered property but in the unlikely event that your home is not registered it is more of a problem but is resolvable.
My Solicitor in Sefton is not listed on the Godiva Mortgages Ltd Solicitor Panel. Can I still retain my prefered solicitor notwithstanding that they are not on the Godiva Mortgages Ltd panel of approved conveyancing solicitors?
The limited options available to you here include:
- Carry on with your existing Sefton lawyers but Godiva Mortgages Ltd will need to retain a solicitor on their list of acceptable firms. This will result in additional overall legal fees and cause delays.
- Get a new practitioner to act in the purchase, not forgetting to check they are Godiva Mortgages Ltd approved.
- Persuade your Godiva Mortgages Ltd based solicitor to seek to join the Godiva Mortgages Ltd panel
I used Arc property Solicitors several years ago for my conveyancing in Sefton. I now require my file however 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 Sefton of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously used, 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 Sefton differ for new build properties?
Most buyers of new build residence in Sefton contact us having been asked by the developer to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the premises is completed. This is because new home sellers in Sefton usually buy the real estate, 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 conveyancing solicitors 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 Sefton or who has acted in the same development.
I was pointed in your direction by numerous estate agents in Sefton to choose a solicitor on your site. Is there a financial upside for Estate Agents to market your site rather than a competitor’s?
We don’t make any referral fee for sending work in our direction. We found it would be just too difficult a fee as members of the public would think, ‘Why is the agent getting a kickback? Why aren’t I receiving any benefit too?’ We would prefer to grow our business on genuine recommendations.
I have been sourcing a conveyancing practitioner in Sefton for my house move. Is it possible to check a solicitor's complaints history with the profession’s regulator?
You may find presented Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) decisions resulting from investigations commenced on or after 1 January 2008. Visit Check a solicitor's record. For records Pre 2008, or to check a firm's record, call 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 any week day save for Tuesday when lines open at 9.30am. International callers, use +44 (0)121 329 6800. The regulator may monitor telephone calls for training purposes.