My partner and I are planning to buy a house in Whitworth and have instructed a Whitworth conveyancing firm. Within the past 48 hours our property lawyer has forwarded the sale agreement to be signed with a detailed report with a view to exchanging next week. Aldermore have this morning contacted us to advise us that there is now an issue as our Whitworth lawyer is not on their approved list of lawyers. What do we do from here?
Where you are buying a property needing a mortgage it is usual for the purchasers' lawyers to also act for the mortgage company. In order to act for a bank or building society a law firm has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the law firm to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the firm has to satisfy and indeed some lenders now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme. Your solicitor should contact your mortgage company and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own solicitors to act. You are not legally obliged to appoint a law firm on the lender’s conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own Whitworth solicitors, in which case it will likely add costs, and it may delay matters as you have another set of people involved.
We see that you have a post code search directory listing solicitors on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel. Do firms pay you a referral fee if I instruct them for our own conveyancing in Whitworth?
We are a listing service only for law firms wishing to communicate if they are on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel or other lender panels. We do not charge referral fees to any conveyancer that you subsequently appoint for your conveyancing in Whitworth.
I'm the sole beneficiary of my late father’s will and I have everything in my name now, including the my former home in Whitworth. The Whitworth property was put into my name in August. I plan to dispose of the house. I understand that there is a Mortgage Lenders 6 month 'rule', meaning my property ownership will be treated the same way as if I'd bought the property in August. Will no one buy the property for half a year?
The CML handbook instructs solicitors to: "report to us immediately if the owner or registered proprietor has been registered for less than six months." Technically you may be caught by that. How sensible a view mortgage companies take of it, depend on the mortgage company as this requirement primarily exists to capture subsales or the wholesaling and assigning of properties.
We are getting a further advance on our home loan from Yorkshire BS as we wish to conduct alterations to our property in Whitworth. Are we obliged to choose a nearby Whitworth solicitor on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel to deal with the paperwork?
Yorkshire BS don't usually instruct firms on their conveyancing panel to handle such a matter. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Yorkshire BS panel.
I can not work out if my lender obliges me to make sure the lease term for the flat is extended prior to the completion date. I have telephoned my Whitworth bank branch on numerous occasions and was told they are content with the situation and they would lend. My Whitworth conveyancing solicitor - who is on the mortgage company conveyancing panel- telephoned to say that they would not lend in accordance with their UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook minimum lease term requirements. I have no idea who is right.
Provided that the property lawyer is on the lender panel, they must adhere to the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook requirements for the lender. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that the mortgage company will go ahead, your lawyer has no choice but to refrain from exchanging contract and committing you to the purchase. We would suggest that you ask the bank to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the number of years remaining.
Have purchased a a detached house in Whitworth , What is the estimated time for the Land Registry to deal with the formalities evidencing the transfer to my name? My Whitworth conveyancing solicitor has been very slow, so I want to check the registration is addressed.
As far as conveyancing in Whitworth registration is no quicker or slower than the rest of the country. As opposed to being determined by geographic area, timescales can differ subject to the party submitting the application, whether it is in order and whether the Land registry need to notify any interested persons or bodies. As of today in the region of 80% of such applications are completed within 12 days but some can be subject to protracted hold-ups. Historically registration takes place once the buyer is living at the premises therefore an expedited registration is not typically top priority but where there is a degree of urgency associated with the registration then you or your solicitor should communicate with the Registry to express the reasoning for an expedited registration.
I am a sole trader planning to take an assignment of a lease of a shop on the high street. Can you recommend conveyancers offering competitive fees for commercial conveyancing in Whitworth for under £2000?
We can recommend firms who have an in-depth of experience of commercial conveyancing in Whitworth, including the sale and acquisition of businesses as well as simply premises. If you are intending to buy or lease a shop, pub, restaurant, office, retail unit or a whole business we will find you the right solicitor. Regarding the fees this will depend on the structure and nuances of the deal. Please provide us with your contact information or telephone us so that we can supply you with a fixed commercial conveyancing quote.
I need to instruct a conveyancing practitioner in Whitworth for my house move. Is there any facility to check a solicitor's complaints history with the legal regulator?
You can read published Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) decisions stemming from inquisitions commenced on or after 1 January 2008. Go to Check a solicitor's record. For information Pre 2008, or to check a firm's record, telephone 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and 09.30 - 18.00 Tuesday. International callers, call +44 (0)121 329 6800. The regulator could monitor telephone calls for training purposes.