My husband and I are looking to buy a property in Crawcrook and have appointed a Crawcrook conveyancing firm. Within the last couple of days our solicitor has forwarded the sale agreement to be signed with a detailed report with the expectation that exchange is imminent. Barnsley Building Society have this evening contacted us to advise us that there is now an issue as our Crawcrook solicitor is not on their approved list of lawyers. Is this a problem?
When purchasing a property with mortgage finance it is normal for the purchasers' solicitors 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 property lawyer 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 don't have to instruct a firm on the bank's conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own Crawcrook solicitors, in which case your legal fees may increase, and it may delay matters as you have another set of people involved.
Having sold my house in Crawcrook last January yet the purchaser is telephoning every few hours to say her conveyancer needs to hear from mylawyer. What are the post completion sale legalities now that I have sold?
Following your disposal your lawyer is duty bound to deliver the transfer deeds and all additional paperwork to the buyer’s lawyers. Where appropriate, your conveyancer should also evidence that the home loan has been redeemed to the purchasers solicitors. There is unlikely to be post completion procedures specific conveyancing in Crawcrook.
Is there a list of RBS panel solicitors in Crawcrook on the Building Society Association’s Website?
Unfortunately not yet. There is no such tool on the Council of Mortgage Lenders or Building Society Association websites. A small selection of mortgage companies make their panel listings available online. Where you are seeking to appoint a Crawcrook solicitor on the RBS please make the most of our facility.
I can not work out if my bank obliges me to make sure the lease term for the flat is extended prior to the completion date. I have telephoned my Crawcrook bank branch on various occasions and was told they are content with the situation and they would lend. My Crawcrook conveyancing solicitor - who is on the lender conveyancing panel- called to say that they would not lend in accordance with their specific requirements. Who do I believe?
As long as the property lawyer is on the bank panel, she or he must follow the CML Handbook specifications 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.
I had an offer accepted on an apartment in Crawcrook on 22/3/2024, valuation was booked 4 days later, all came back fine. Property lawyer retained, so all that was missing was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to Coventry BS and chasing them on my offer, I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the Coventry BS conveyancing panel. Are Coventry BS entitled to hold back the Mortgage pending the lawyer being on the approved list?
Mortgage companies tend not to not issue a mortgage until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Coventry BS to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the Coventry BS conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.
Me and my brother have a renovated Georgian house in Crawcrook. Conveyancing lawyer represented me and Platform Home Loans Ltd. I did a free Land Registry search last week and there are two entries: one for freehold, the second leasehold under the matching address. Is it worth asking Platform Home Loans Ltd to clarify?
You need to review the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Crawcrook 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 question the position with your conveyancing solicitor who completed the work.
How does conveyancing in Crawcrook differ for new build properties?
Most buyers of new build property in Crawcrook come to us having been asked by the developer to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the house is finished. This is because builders in Crawcrook usually acquire the land, 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 used to new build conveyancing in Crawcrook or who has acted in the same development.