My fiance and I are looking to buy a home in Southall and have appointed a Southall conveyancing firm. Within the past 48 hours our solicitor has forwarded the sale agreement to be signed with a detailed report in anticipation of exchanging contracts shortly. The Royal Bank of Scotland have this afternoon contacted us to advise us that they have now hit a problem as our Southall solicitor is not on their conveyancing panel. What do we do from here?
If you are buying a property needing a mortgage it is normal for the purchasers' solicitors to also act for the mortgage company. In order to act for a bank or building society a law firm has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the law firm to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the firm has to satisfy and indeed some lenders now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Accreditation Scheme. Your solicitor should contact your mortgage company and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own lawyers to represent them. You are not legally obliged to appoint a law firm on the lender’s conveyancing panel as you are at liberty to use your preferred Southall lawyers, in which case it will likely add costs, and it may delay matters as you are adding another lawyer into the mix.
Last February we completed a house move in Southall. We have since encountered a number of problems with the property which we believe were omitted in the conveyancing searches. Is there anything we can do? What searches should? have been carried out as part of conveyancing in Southall?
The question is vague as what problems have arisen and if they are specific to conveyancing in Southall. Conveyancing searches and investigations initiated as part of the buying process are designed to help avoid problems. As part of the process, a property owner fills in a document called a SPIF. answers turns out to be inaccurate, then you may have a claim against the owner for any losses that you have suffered. The survey should have identified any problems with the structure of the property. Assuming a detailed survey was carried out and the issues were not identified, you may have a claim against the surveyor. However, if you did not have a full survey, you may be responsible for fixing any defects that have now been noted. We would always encourage buyers to take every possible step to ensure they are completely aware of the condition of a property before purchase regardless of whether they are buying in Southall.
Does a directory service exist listing Leeds Building Society panel solicitors in Southall on the Building Society Association’s Website?
Unfortunately not yet. There is no such directory service on the Council of Mortgage Lenders or Building Society Association websites. A small selection of lenders make their panel listings visible over the internet. Where you are in need of a Southall conveyancing practitioner on the Leeds Building Society please make the most of our tool.
is it true that all Southall solicitor practices on the Lloyds conveyancing panel are regulated by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority?
As solicitors, in order to be on the Lloyds conveyancing panel they would need to be governed by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority. Some banks do list licenced conveyancers on their panel and in such a situation the firms would be governed by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.
I have today made my last payment due on my mortgage with UBS. I assume I don't need a Southall property lawyer on the UBS panel to discharge the mortgage at the Land Registry. Please confirm.
If you have finished paying off your UBS mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the UBS mortgage from the register. UBS, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:
- but are not moving to another property
- where UBS has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
- UBS has instructed the Land Registry to do so
four months have elapsed following my purchase conveyancing in Southall took place. I have checked the Land Registry site which shows that I paid £175,000 when infact I paid £180,000. Why the discrepancy?
The price paid figure is taken from the application to register the purchase. It is the figure included in the Transfer (the legal deed which transfers the premises from one person to the other) and referred to as the 'consideration' or purchase price. You can report an error in the price paid figure using the LR online form. In most cases errors result from typos so at first glance the figure. Do report it so they can double check and advise.
About to purchase a new build flat in Southall. Conveyancing is necessary evil at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. What sort of enquires would be asked in new build conveyancing.
Here is a sample of a selection of leasehold new build questions that you may expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Southall
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There must be mutual enforceability of lessee’s covenants. Will control of the Management Company (if any) be handed over to purchasers on completion of the last sale or earlier? Where there is an Undertaking being granted there is the risk of forfeiture of the Headlease subject to relief if one or more of the Underlessees are willing to accept the original Head Lessee’s obligations as otherwise relief will be denied to the Underlessees. The only alternatives are the Head Lessor agreeing not to forfeit the Headlease or the Head Lessee guaranteeing to the Underlessees that it will not be in breach of the Headlease. Forfeiture - bankruptcy or liquidation must not apply under this provision. Will the freehold then be transferred for a nominal consideration (not exceeding £100) to the Management Company?
I am looking for a conveyancing solicitor in Southall for my home move. Can I see a solicitor's record with the profession’s regulator?
Anyone may find published Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) decisions resulting from inquisitions commenced on or after Jan 2008. Go to Check a solicitor's record. To find records about the period before 1 January 2008, or to check a firm's history, telephone 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and 09.30 - 18.00 Tuesday. For non-uk callers, dial +44 (0)121 329 6800. The regulator sometimes recorded call for training reasons.