Can the conveyancing lawyers that you recommend carry out attended exchange conveyancing in Small Heath?
There are a few conveyancing experts who can conduct one day exchanges. Do e-mail us to get a costs illustration and details as to dates.
How up to date is your search tool for Small Heath conveyancing solicitors on the HSBC conveyancing panel? Do HSBC send you an updated list?
Small Heath conveyancing firms themselves provide us confirmation that they are on the HSBC conveyancing panel as opposed to being supplied with a list from HSBC directly.
My brother-in-law has suggested I instruct a conveyancing solicitor in Small Heath. I need to find out if they are on the Santander approved list of lawyers. Can you assist?
The first thing to do is e-mail your conveyancer and ask them if they are on the lender panel. Alternatively please get in touch with Santander who may be able to help.
Are all Small Heath Conveyancing Quality Solicitors on the Aldermore conveyancing panel?
Some major banks and building societies now utilise the accreditation scheme as the kick off point for Panel membership such as HSBC and Santander. CQS accreditation however is no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. That being said,the CML have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for firms wishing to remain on their approved list of firms.
We have agreed to purchase a house in Small Heath. One unusual aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Yorkshire BS have issued a mortgage offer so presumably this is not a concern to them. Why is my solicitor raising questions about the panel?
As your lender is Yorkshire BS your lawyer must follow the formal requirements set out in Part 2 of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Yorkshire BS. The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook includes minimum conditions for solar panel roof-space leases, and solicitors are required to report to Yorkshire BS where a lease fails to meet these provisions. The specifications relate to the installation of panels on properties nationwide and is not limited to Small Heath.
I was told two weeks ago that my mortgage has been agreed to by HSBC. Is it usual for HSBC to only issue the offer once my solicitor in Small Heath is approved on their conveyancing panel? HSBC have asked my solicitor to see a copy of their Professional Indemnity Insurance Schedule.
Mortgage companies tend not to not issue an offer until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for HSBC to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the HSBC conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.
How does conveyancing in Small Heath differ for newly converted properties?
Most buyers of new build property in Small Heath contact us having been asked by the seller to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the premises is constructed. This is because developers in Small Heath typically acquire the land, 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 used to new build conveyancing in Small Heath or who has acted in the same development.
My partner and I are purchasing a garden flat in Small Heath. At the time of instructing our lawyer, they said that they were on all mainstream lender panels. Our mortgage broker called just now to say that they don't appear to be on the Yorkshire BS approved list. If it turns out to be true, what should we do? Should we just choose a new conveyancer that is on their approved list or should we cover the costs for separate representation, with Yorkshire BS selecting their own preferred lawyer.
Where you are acquiring a property needing a mortgage it is usual for the purchaser’s solicitors to also represent the purchaser's lender. In order to act for a bank or building society a property lawyer has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the lawyer to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict conditions which the property lawyer has to meet. Some banks now insist their panel firms to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme. Your lawyer should call Yorkshire BS and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own solicitors to act. You don't have to instruct a firm on Yorkshire BS's conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own Small Heath solicitors, in which case it will likely add costs, and it will likely delay the transaction as you are adding another conveyancer into the equation.