My husband and I are acquiring a ground floor flat in Stone. My lawyer has never been on on the bank approved panel. Am I still permitted to appoint my Stone conveyancing solicitor notwithstanding that they are not on the bank approved list?
You have a couple of alternatives available to you here
- Proceed with your existing Stone conveyancing practitioner but your bank will undoubtedly retain a conveyancing practitioner on their approved list. This will result in additional cost and potential frustration.
- Choose a new conveyancer to act in the purchase, obviously checking they are on the mortgage company conveyancing panel.
- Convince your lawyer to pull out all the stops to get accepted on the mortgage company conveyancing panel
Why do I have to pay up front for my conveyancing in Stone?
If you are buying a property in Stone your solicitor will request that you put them with funds to cover the the cost of the conveyancing searches. This will be the total of the cost of the Local Authority Search. If any deposit is payable against the sale price then this will be asked for immediately in advance of exchange of contracts. Any further balance that is due should be transferred a couple of days prior to the completion date.
My aunt informed me that in buying a property in Stone there could be various restrictions preventing external alterations to a property. Is this right?
We are aware of a number of properties in Stone which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to execute external variations. Part of the conveyancing in Stone should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.
Can I be sure that the Stone conveyancing solicitor on the Santander panel is any good?
When it comes to conveyancing in Stone getting recommendations is a sensible starting point. Before you go ahead, check if they offer a no sale no fee offer. Also, you often get what you pay for - a firm which quotes more, will often provide a better service than one advertising the lowest fees. We would always advocate that you speak with the lawyer conducting your conveyancing.
We were going to get a AIP from Kent Reliance this week so we know how much we could potentially offer as otherwise we are dependent on web based calculators (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do Kent Reliance recommend any Stone solicitors on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel, or is it better to go independently?
You will need to appoint Stone solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and Kent Reliance through the process.
My relative suggested that where I am buying in Stone I should ask my conveyancer to execute a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?
A search of this type is sometimes included in the estimate for your Stone conveyancing searches. It is not a small report of about 40 pages, listing and detailing important information about Stone around the property and the people living there. It includes an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the Stone Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the type 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 Stone.
Do I need to be suspicious by third parties that I am dealing with are recommending an online conveyancing firm rather than a High Street Stone conveyancing company?
As is the case with many service providers, often recommendations from family and friends can be extremely useful or valuable. But there are lots of players in a conveyancing transaction; estate agents, mortgage brokers and banks may put forward lawyers to retain. Sometimes the conveyancers might be known to one of the organisations as one of the best in their field, but sometimes there may be a financial incentive behind the recommendation. You are at liberty to select your preferred lawyer. Don't forget that some lenders operate an approved list of lawyers you must use for the lender aspect of your transaction.
My brother is buying a basement flat in Stone. He has received a fee estimate by the lawyer connected to the selling agents and it came to £1156 . It was 9 years ago I sold and purchased a house and the fee was £440. Have costs really gone up that much?
What does the conveyancing estimate include? Is it just for the legal fees, or what you will be paying in total (for instance Stone searches, land registry fees, etc)