Me and my fiance are buying a 3 bedroom apartment in Tonyrefail with a mortgage. We like our Tonyrefail conveyancer, however the bank says she’s not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the lender panel solicitors or retain our Tonyrefail lawyer and pay for one of their panel lawyers to act for them. This seems very unfair; is there anything we can do?
Unfortunately,no. The mortgage offered to you is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the lender’s conveyancing panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. A further alternative is for your Tonyrefail conveyancing lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.
We expect to receive a DIP from Leeds Building Society this week so we know how much we could potentially offer as otherwise we only have online calculators to go by (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do Leeds Building Society recommend any Tonyrefail solicitors on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel, or is it better to find our own lawyer?
You will need to appoint Tonyrefail solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and Leeds Building Society through the process.
I am selling my house. I had a double glazing fitted in November 2010, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My buyer's lender, HSBC are being a right pain. The Tonyrefail solicitor who is on the HSBC conveyancing panel is saying indemnity insurance will be fine but HSBC are requiring a building regulation certificate. Why do HSBC have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?
It is probably the case that HSBC have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why HSBC may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing was correctly and safely installed. The indemnity insurance merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.
I have finally had an offer on a flat in Tonyrefail agreed to, the owners do however have a connected purchase. The vendors have offered on somewhere, however it’s not yet tied up, and have viewings of other apartments in the pipeline. I have chosen a local conveyancing solicitor in Tonyrefail. What should be my next step? When do I get the mortgage application with Skipton going?
It is understandable to have anxieties where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to incur costs too early (home loan application is in the region of one thousand pounds, then valuation, Tonyrefail conveyancing search costs, etc). The first thing to do is ensure that your lawyer is on the Skipton conveyancing panel. Concerning the next stages this very much depends on the specifics of your transaction, desire for this property and on the state of the market. In a hot market the majority of purchasers would apply for a home loan with Skipton and pay for the valuation and only if it comes back ok would they request their lawyer to proceed with searches.
My wife and I are selling our property in Tonyrefail and the buyers lawyers are claiming that there is a possibility that the property was built on contaminated land. Any high street Tonyrefail lawyer would know that there is no such problem. For the life of me I don't know why the buyers are using an internet conveyancing practice as opposed to a conveyancing solicitor in Tonyrefail. Having lived in Tonyrefail for many years we know of no issue. Should we contact our local Authority to get confirmation that there is no issue.
It sounds as though you may have a conveyancing solicitor currently acting for you. What do they say? You need to 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 health insurance to cover that same sickness)
How does conveyancing in Tonyrefail differ for new build properties?
Most buyers of new build premises in Tonyrefail come to us having been asked by the housebuilder to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the residence is completed. This is because developers in Tonyrefail tend to acquire the real estate, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct conveyancing solicitors as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are accustomed to new build conveyancing in Tonyrefail or who has acted in the same development.
Am I best advised to go with a Tonyrefail conveyancing practitioner based in the location that I am hoping to buy? We have a good friend who can handle the legal work however her office is approximately 350kilometers drive away.
The benefit of a high street Tonyrefail conveyancing practice is that you can visit the firm to execute paperwork, hand in your ID and apply pressure on them where appropriate. Having local Tonyrefail know how is a benefit. However nothing is more important than finding someone that will do a good and efficient job. If other friends have used your friend and on the whole were content that must outweigh using an unknown Tonyrefail conveyancing lawyer solely due to them being based in the area.
My fiance is purchasing a ground floor flat in Tonyrefail. He was given a quote by the lawyer connected to the selling agents totaling £1250 . It was fifteen years ago since I sold and bought a property and it cost was £495. Have costs really escalated to that extent?
What does the conveyancing estimate include? Is it just for the legal fees, or what you will be paying in total (for example Tonyrefail searches, land registry fees, etc)