I am progressing with the sale of my apartment in South West London and the EA has just telephoned to warn that the buyers are switching law firm. I am told that this is due to the fact that the mortgage company will only work with property lawyers on their conveyancing panel. Why would a leading lender only deal with certain law firms rather the firm that they want to choose to handle their conveyancing in South West London ?
Mortgage companies have always had an approved set of law firms they are willing to work with, but in the past few years big names such as Santander, have considered and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have worked with them for over 25 years.
Lenders point to the increase in fraud as the reason for the cull – criteria have been tightened 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 claims that it is hearing daily from firms that have been removed from panels. Some are unaware that they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyers' case. Your purchasers are unlikely to have any sway in the decision.
We were just about to sign contracts for a property in South West London. We encountered a problem. The mortgage offer with Coventry Building Society runs out on 26/6/2026 but the sellers are insisting on a completion date of 30/6/2026. Is it possible to prolong the mortgage offer?
The best person to address this issue is your conveyancer who will hopefully assess if he or she is should be discussing with the bank, owner’s lawyers, estate agents or conceivably all three based on the history of your transaction to date.
It is is a decade since I purchased my home in South West London. Conveyancing solicitors have recently been retained on the sale but I am unable to locate the deeds. Will this cause complications?
You need not be too concerned. First there is a possibility that the deeds will be retained by your lender or they could be archived with the lawyers who acted in your purchase. Secondly the chances are that the property will be recorded at the land registry and you will be able to prove you are the registered owner by your conveyancing solicitors obtaining current official copies of the land registers. Most conveyancing in South West London involves registered property but in the unlikely event that your home is unregistered it is more problematic but is resolvable.
Will our conveyancer be raising questions regarding flooding during the conveyancing in South West London.
The risk of flooding is if increasing concern for lawyers carrying out conveyancing in South West London. Some people will purchase a house in South West London, fully expectant that at some time, it may suffer from flooding. However, aside from the physical damage, if a property is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to obtain a mortgage, satisfactory building insurance, or sell the property. There are steps that can be taken during the course of a house purchase to forewarn the buyer.
Conveyancers are not best placed to offer advice on flood risk, but there are a numerous checks that can be initiated by the purchaser or on a buyer’s behalf which will figure out the risks in South West London. The standard information supplied to a buyer’s lawyer (where the Conveyancing Protocol is adopted) contains a standard question of the vendor to find out whether the property has suffered from flooding. In the event that flooding has previously occurred which is not notified by the owner, then a purchaser may issue a legal claim for losses stemming from an misleading reply. A buyer’s solicitors will also conduct an environmental search. This should reveal if there is a recorded flood risk. If so, further investigations will need to be carried out.
I have justfound out that Wolstenholmes have closed. They carried out my conveyancing in South West London for a purchase of a leasehold flat 10 months ago. How can I check that my home is registered correctly in the name of the former proprietor?
The quickest way to see if the property is registered to you, you can carry out a search of the land registry (£3.00). You can either do this yourself or ask a law firm to do this for you. If you are not registered you can seek help from one of a number of South West London conveyancing specialists.
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At this site secure an accurate quote from a Solicitor or Licensed Conveyancer that appreciates the nuances for your conveyancing in South West London. Unlike many estate agents and many comparison sites we do not operate kick-back arrangements with solicitors. Some agents and online brokers 'recommend' the firm who pay the most per referral, as opposed to the best value conveyancing in South West London