Unfortunately I am unable to travel far from Teignmouth. Is there a reason why all Teignmouth solicitors aren't included on all bank panels?
A decade ago most mortgage companies had an attitude to risk which differs from the current day. The Financial Services Authority in 2010 carried out a thematic review into property fraud which concluded: know the lawyers on your panel. As a result, lenders have subsequently looked to extract more data from law firms regarding their processes and the individuals employed by them and set certain criteria such as completing a minimum amount of transactions. Thousands of law practices have been excluded from lender panels even though they had 100% healthy disciplinary record, no complaints and no claims and didn't just 'dabble' in conveyancing. Many firms were never going to satisfy the minimum volume of transactions the mortgage companies insisted on.
We are downsizing from our house in Teignmouth and the buyers lawyers are claiming that there is a possibility that the property was built on contaminated land. A local lawyer would know this is not the case. It does beg the question why the buyers are using an online conveyancing practice rather than a conveyancing solicitor in Teignmouth. Having lived in Teignmouth for 5 years we know that this is a non issue. Do we contact our local Authority to obtain clarification that the buyers are looking for.
It would appear that you have a conveyancing solicitor currently acting for you. What do they say? You should check with your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out life insurance to cover that same sickness)
2 months have elapsed following my purchase conveyancing in Teignmouth concluded. I have checked the Land Registry site which shows that I paid £200,000 when infact I paid £160,000. 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 residence 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.
Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold issue on a house I put an offer in last month in what was supposed to be a simple, chain free conveyancing. Teignmouth is the location of the property. Can you offer any advice?
Flying freeholds in Teignmouth are unusual but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even though you don't necessarily need a conveyancing solicitor in Teignmouth you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds diligently. Your lender may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Teignmouth 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 premises.
Am I best advised to appoint a Teignmouth conveyancing solicitor in close proximity to the house I am buying? We have a good friend who can execute the legal work but her office is a couple of hundredkilometers away.
The primary upside of using a local Teignmouth conveyancing firm is that you can pop in to execute paperwork, hand in your ID and pester them where appropriate. They will also have local insight which is a benefit. However it's more important to get someone that will pull out all the stops for you. If you know people who used your friend and they were impressed that should outweigh using an unfamiliar Teignmouth conveyancing lawyer just because they are Teignmouth based.
What do I do if I am dissatisfied with the property lawyer who did my conveyancing in Teignmouth?
Occasionally the level of service you receive is not as you expect, and unfortunately every so often things do go wrong. Nevertheless there is recourse where you were not happy with your conveyancing in Teignmouth. This varies from trying to resolve matters directly with them, through to reporting a solicitor to their regulator. If you remain unhappy you may consider enlisting the help of the Legal Ombudsman.