Is the fact that my solicitor in West Ham is not on my bank's conveyancing panel that there is a problem with the quality of his work?
It would not be wise to jump to that conclusion. There are all sorts of perfectly reasonable explanations. Just recently a report by the solicitors regulator indicated that over three quarters of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The top 5 reasons are as follows: (1) lack of transactions (2) the lawyer is a sole practitioner (3) as part of the HSBC panel reduction (4) regulatory contact by SRA (5) accidental removal. Where you are concerned you should contact the West Ham conveyancing firm and enquire why they are no longer on the approved list for your lender.
We see that you have a post code search directory identifying law firms on the Barclays conveyancing panel. Do firms pay you a commission if I instruct them for our conveyancing in West Ham?
We are a listing service only for law firms wishing to communicate if they are on the Barclays conveyancing panel or other lender panels. We do not charge referral fees to any conveyancer that you subsequently appoint for your conveyancing in West Ham.
We were going to get a OIP from Principality 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 Principality recommend any West Ham solicitors on the Principality conveyancing panel, or is it better to find our own lawyer?
You will need to appoint West Ham solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the Principality conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and Principality through the process.
I am currently in the process of buying my council flat in West Ham. I have a mortgage offer with Nationwide. Conveyancing is new to me. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should use one. Any advice?
It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with Nationwide, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Nationwide conveyancing panel.
The mortgage over my property is with Skipton for my property in West Ham. Conveyancing has been completed 12 months ago. If I am intending to rent out my property and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a buy-to-let mortgage or inform Skipton?
Your original mortgage agreement with Skipton will provide that you need their approval before letting out your property as this is likely to be a breach of Skipton’s mortgage conditions. It may be that Skipton will permit you to let out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact Skipton directly. You need not do this via a Skipton conveyancing panel solicitor.
Me and my brother purchased a renovated Victorian house in West Ham. Conveyancing practitioner acted for me and Chelsea Building Society. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and I saw a couple of entries: one for freehold, the second leasehold with the exact same address. If a house is not a freehold shouldn't I have been informed?
You should assess the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register as there may be mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in West Ham and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they buy they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with lenders. You can also enquire as to the situation with the conveyancing lawyer who conducted the work.
How does conveyancing in West Ham differ for newly converted properties?
Most buyers of new build or newly converted property in West Ham approach us having been asked by the developer to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the premises is completed. This is because builders in West Ham tend to purchase the site, 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 used to new build conveyancing in West Ham or who has acted in the same development.
I need to consider quotes for conveyancing in West Ham from various solicitor and appoint one. Am I right to instruct them to hold tight until I have found somewhere to acquire.
We would recommend that you wait to get your property lawyer to open a file and submit searches after the offer has been agreed to on the property particularly as West Ham conveyancing searches are costly.