I am progressing with the sale of my house in Uppingham and the estate agent has just telephoned to say that the purchasers are swapping solicitor. The excuse is that the mortgage company will only deal with solicitors on their conveyancing panel. On what basis would a major mortgage company only work with certain law firms rather the firm that they want to choose to handle their conveyancing in Uppingham ?
Lenders have always had panels of law firms they are willing to work with, but in recent years big names such as HSBC, have considered and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have acted for them for over 25 years.
Lending institutions point to the increase in fraud as the reason for the cull – criteria have been narrowed as a smaller panel is easier to keep an eye on. Banks tend not to reveal how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society claims that it is being contacted daily by practices that have been removed from panels. Some do not even realise they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyers' case. Your buyers are not going to have any impact on this.
What is the difference between a licensed conveyancer and conveyancing solicitor in Uppingham
Two types of professional can carry out conveyancing in Uppingham namely licenced conveyancers or solicitors. The two can handle conveyancing services that required to complete the sale or purchase of property. They are both required to conduct Uppingham conveyancing to the same standards and guidelines so you may be sure that your conveyancing will be properly conducted and that all requisite steps will be appropriately adhered to.
My wife and I are at the point of looking at flats in Uppingham and I am now considering a potential offer. Is it sensible to have my conveyancing practitioner on ‘stand by’? I intend to finance via a mortgage with Skipton.
You should start obtaining conveyancing quotes from solicitors ASAP. After you have chosen your lawyer and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and forward their contact information on to the selling agent. Given that you are obtaining a mortgage with Skipton, ask your prospective lawyers if they are on the Skipton conveyancing panel otherwise they can't do the mortgage legal work.
TSB have agreed my mortgage in principle, my bid on a house in Uppingham has been accepted, what are the next steps?
Your estate agent will want to know who your solicitors are (ensure that the property lawyers are on the lender’s approved list). Telephone TSB or the financial adviser and complete any appropriate forms. TSB will appoint a valuer who will get in touch with the selling agent or vendor to schedule an appointment. Once carried out (assuming no problems) it takes about a fortnight to get a mortgage offer. TSB will send the offer to you and your solicitors. The legal work will then take it’s course according the nature and complexity of the conveyancing in Uppingham.
My wife and I are selling our home in Uppingham and according to the buyers it appears that there is a possibility that the property was constructed on contaminated land. A high street Uppingham conveyancer would know that there is no such problem. It does beg the question why the buyers are using a nationwide conveyancing firm as opposed to a conveyancing solicitor in Uppingham. We have lived in Uppingham for three years we know that this is a non issue. Is it a good idea to contact our local Authority to get confirmation that there is no issue.
It sounds as though you may have a conveyancing firm 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 life insurance to cover that same sickness)
Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly picked up during conveyancing in Uppingham?
Restrictive covenants can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the process of conveyancing in Uppingham. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’
Can you offer any advice when it comes to choosing a Uppingham conveyancing practice to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?
When appointing a solicitor for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Uppingham conveyancing practice) it is imperative that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We recommend that you speak with two or three firms including non Uppingham conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. Where the conveyancing practice is ALEP accredited then so much the better. The following questions could be helpful:
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If they are not ALEP accredited then why not?
Uppingham Leasehold Conveyancing - A selection of Queries Prior to Purchasing
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Make sure you investigate if there are any onerous prohibitions in the lease. For instance it is reasonably common in Uppingham leases that pets are not permitted in certain buildings in Uppingham. If you love the flatin Uppingham yet your dog is not allowed to live with you then you will be faced difficult compromise. On the whole the cost for major works are not included within service charges, although there some managing agents in Uppingham obliged leaseholders to contribute towards a reserve fund and this is used to offset against larger works. Who is in charge of the block?
We have today had a bid accepted on our first house in Uppingham, and are about to get solicitors appointed. We have used the different rating based websites and the results are from all across the country. Is it essential to have a Uppingham conveyancer local to our potential house? I am happy to do all the communicating over the web, but I guess at some stage we may be required to attend the solicitor's office to sign contracts?
Generally there is no requirement to attend the office of your conveyancer, they can post any relevant papers to you, which you can sign and send back. Many buyers and sellers choose to use a locally based solicitor, but it is not essential for conveyancing in Uppingham.