It has come to my attention via my estate agent that my Witham solicitor is not on the mortgage company Conveyancing panel. How can I check?
The first thing you need to do is to call your Witham conveyancer. You lawyer should advise you of the situation. Where they are not on the panel they could put your in touch with solicitors on the approved list of lawyers for your bank.
Is it necessary during the course of the conveyancing process to visit the offices of the solicitor to sign the mortgage deed? If so, I will instruct a firm who offer conveyancing in Witham so that I can pop in to their offices if required.
As opposed to 12 years ago, most lenders no longer need their conveyancing panel solicitor to witness the borrowers signature. It will still be necessary for you to hand over identification documents and there are still distinct benefits to instructing a locally based practitioner, in your situation a conveyancing solicitor in Witham.
Should commercial conveyancing searches reveal planned roadworks that may affect a commercial estate in Witham?
Its becoming the norm that commercial conveyancing solicitors in Witham will conduct a SiteSolutions Highways report as it dramatically cuts the time that conveyancers invest in investigating accurate data on highways that impact buildings and development assets in Witham. The report provides definitive data on the adoption status of roads, footpaths and verges, as well as the implication of traffic schemes and the rights of way surrounding a commercial development sites in Witham.
For each commercial conveyancing transaction in Witham it is crucial to investigate the adoption status of roads surrounding a site. The absence of identifying developments where adoption procedures have not been addressed adequately can result in delays to Witham commercial conveyancing deals as well as present a risk to future plans for the site. These searches are not carried out for residential conveyancing in Witham.
How does conveyancing in Witham differ for newly converted properties?
Most buyers of new build residence in Witham contact us having been asked by the builder to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the property is built. This is because house builders in Witham typically acquire 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 conveyancers 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 Witham or who has acted in the same development.
I decided to have a survey carried out on a house in Witham before instructing solicitors. I have been informed that there is a flying freehold aspect to the house. Our surveyor has said that some lenders will refuse to issue a mortgage on such a house.
It depends who your proposed lender is. HSBC has different requirements from Halifax. If you contact us we can look into this further via the relevant lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Witham. Conveyancing may be slightly more expensive based on your lender's requirements.
In my capacity as executor for the will of my uncle I am disposing of a house in Monmouth but live in Witham. My lawyer (based 235 kilometers awayhas requested that I execute a statutory declaration ahead of the transaction finalising. Can you recommend a conveyancing practitioner in Witham to witness this legal document for me?
Technically speaking you are unlikely to need to have the documents witnessed by a conveyancing solicitor. Ordinarily any notary public or solicitor will be fine regardless of whether they are Witham based