Me and my fiance are purchasing a 1 bedroom flat in Snodland with a mortgage. We wish to retain our Snodland solicitor, however the lender says he's not on their "panel". It seems we have no option but to appoint one of the lender panel firms or retain our Snodland property lawyer as well as pay for one of their panel ones to represent them. This seems very unfair; is there anything we can do?
No, not really. 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. Another option that might be available is for your Snodland conveyancing solicitor to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.
We have agreed to purchase a house in Snodland. An unusual aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Solicitors conducting should look into this right? Will my lender Nottingham be concerned?
Given that your lender is Nottingham your lawyer must check the formal instructions outlined in Part 2 of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Nottingham. The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook includes minimum specifications for solar panel roof-space leases, and property lawyers are required to report to Nottingham where a lease fails to meet these conditions. The provisions relate to the installation of panels on properties countrywide and is not limited to Snodland.
I'm in the throws of viewing houses in Snodland and I am about to put in an offer. Should I already have a solicitor in place at this point? I intend to finance via a home loan with HSBC.
It would be wise to start 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 contact information on to the estate agent. As you are obtaining a mortgage with HSBC, ask your prospective lawyers if they are on the HSBC conveyancing panel otherwise they can't do the mortgage legal work.
I recently had an offer agreed on an apartment in Snodland. My mortgage broker recommended their conveyancers. I paid an advanced payment of £200. A couple of days later, the lawyer called me to say that they were not on the Lloyds conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?
You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Lloyds panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.
My colleague advised me that where I am purchasing in Snodland I should ask my conveyancer to execute a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?
This is a search is usually included in the estimate for your Snodland conveyancing searches. It is a large document of more than thirty pages, listing and setting out significant information about Snodland around the property and the people living there. It includes an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the Snodland Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the demographics of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average House Prices, Crime details, Local Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data concerning Snodland.
How does conveyancing in Snodland differ for newly converted properties?
Most buyers of new build or newly converted property in Snodland approach us having been asked by the developer to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the premises is built. This is because builders in Snodland usually 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 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 Snodland or who has acted in the same development.
Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold issue on a property I have offered on last month in what should have been a simple, chain free conveyancing. Snodland is where the house is located. Can you shed any light on this issue?
Flying freeholds in Snodland are not the norm but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside Snodland you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds very carefully. Your mortgage company may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Snodland may determine that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold property.
I need to retain a conveyancing solicitor for my conveyancing in Snodland. I have chance upon a site which appears to be the perfect solution If there is a chance to get all formalities done via phone that would be preferable. Should I be wary? What should out be looking out for?
As usual with these online conveyancers you need to read ALL the small print - did you notice the extra charge for dealing with the mortgage?