I had intended to instruct a conveyancing solicitor in St James's for our home move. Our broker informed us that our bank Leeds Building Society won't deal with them. Surely this is unduly restrictive?
Banks ordinarily imposes restrictions either the type or the volume of conveyancing solicitors on their panel. A common example of such criteria being that a law practice must have two or more partners. In addition to restricting the type of firm, some have reduced the amount of firms they use to represent them. Be aware that Leeds Building Society have no responsibility for the quality of advice provided by any member of Leeds Building Society Conveyancer Panel. Mortgage fraud was a key driver in the rationalisation of solicitor panels a few years ago even though there are mixed views about the extent of solicitor involvement in some of that fraud. Statistics from the Land Registry indicate that thousands of law firms, including some in or near St James's only execute one or two conveyances per annum.
My wife and I are buying a flat in St James's. I might seem paranoid but how we can trust a lawyer? On completion day we will need to deposit our life savings into their account. What is the protection we have from them run away with our monies?
Be assured that all money in a Solicitors client account is 100% safe, and even if your Solicitor ran off with it, the Law Society would reimburse you fully.
There are plenty of conveyancing solicitors in St James's but how do I know who's good?
It would be unwise to be tempted by the cheapest St James's conveyancing costs illustration. You really do get what you’re paying for when it comes to property lawyers. A cheap quote may mean that the conveyancing solicitor is handling a lot of jobs at one time and you won’t get the quality of service and the attention that you need. It is, however, wise to use a conveyancer who has a fixed fee on a no sale, no fee basis. This way, you go into the conveyancing with your eyes wide open.
I have been advised by my lawyer that lack of planning permission insurance is needed on my purchase. What is the typical level of cover needed for conveyancing in St James's?
The right level of lack of planning permission indemnity insurance should be dictated by who your lender. It would differ for example between Nationwide Building Society and Bank of Scotland. Conveyancing solicitors as opposed to members of the public take out such policies.
I'm buying a new build house in St James's with a mortgage from The Mortgage Works. The sellers would not budge the price so I negotiated 6k of fixtures and fittings instead. The estate agent told me not reveal to my solicitor about this deal as it may affect my loan with The Mortgage Works. Is this normal?.
All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the developer of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.
Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.
Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.
What tools are available to locate a St James's law firm on the Birmingham Midshires conveyancing panel? I am a keen cyclist and am prepared to travel upto 10kilometers to meet the lawyer.
Feel free to make use of the search on this page. Please pick a bank and your location and you will see a number of St James's conveyancing lawyers locally. We have listed some St James's conveyancing firms at the bottom of this page and you can ring them to see whether they are on the Birmingham Midshires member panel
I need to instruct a conveyancing solicitor for purchase conveyancing in St James's. I happened to land on a web site which seems to have the ideal solution If it is possible to get all formalities completed via email 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?
What advice can you give us when it comes to finding a St James's conveyancing practice to deal with our lease extension?
When appointing a solicitor for lease extension works (regardless if they are a St James's conveyancing firm) it is essential that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We recommend that you make enquires with two or three firms including non St James's conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then so much the better. The following questions might be useful:
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Can they put you in touch with clients in St James's who can give a testimonial?
I have had difficulty in trying to purchase the freehold in St James's. Can the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal adjudicate on premiums?
You certainly can. We are happy to put you in touch with a St James's conveyancing firm who can help.
An example of a Freehold Enfranchisement decision for a St James's residence is 20 Avonwick Road in July 2013. The Tribunal was dealing with an application under Section 26 of the Leasehold Reform Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 for a determination of the freehold value of the property. It was concluded that the price to be paid was Fifteen Thousand Nine Hundred and Seventy (£15,970) divided as to £8,200 for Flat 20 and £7,770 for Flat 20A This case was in relation to 1 flat. The number of years remaining on the existing lease(s) was 73.26 years.