My wife and I are buying a 3 bedroom apartment in Selston with a mortgage. We like our Selston conveyancer, but the mortgage company advise she’s not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the mortgage company panel conveyancing practices or keep our Selston property lawyer and pay for one of their panel ones to act for them. This feels very unfair; is there anything we can do?
No, not really. The mortgage offered to you is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the bank’s conveyancing panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. A further alternative is for your Selston conveyancing lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.
We note that you have a post code search directory identifying law firms on the TSB conveyancing panel. Do companies pay you a referral fee if I instruct them for our conveyancing in Selston?
We are a listing service only for law firms wishing to communicate if they are on the TSB conveyancing panel or other lender panels. We do not charge referral fees to any conveyancer that you subsequently appoint for your conveyancing in Selston.
Is it the case that all Selston solicitor practices on the Nationwide conveyancing panel are governed by the SRA?
As solicitors, in order to be on the Nationwide approved list of solicitors they would need to be overseen by the SRA. Some mortgage companies do list licenced conveyancers on their panel and in that case the organisation would be governed by the CLC.
Completion of my purchase has taken place for my property in Selston. Conveyancing was of an acceptable standard but I would like to complain about the lender. Who do I contact should I wish to lodge a complaint?
Most banks and building societies have complaints procedures. Your first port of call should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Services Department at head office. In most cases complaints to a lender are resolved effectively and efficiently. If you feel the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service with full details of your complaint.
I am selling my house. I had a double glazing fitted in January 2008, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My buyer's mortgage company, Coventry BS are being difficult. The Selston solicitor who is on the Coventry BS conveyancing panel is happy to accept ‘lack of building regulation’ insurance but Coventry BS are insisting on a building regulation certificate. Why do Coventry BS have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?
It is probably the case that Coventry BS have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Coventry BS may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing was correctly and safely installed. The indemnity insurance merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.
I have been told that property searches are the number one reason for obstruction in Selston conveyancing transactions. Is there any truth in this?
The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) published findings of a review by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not feature amongst the top 10 causes of delays in the conveyancing process. Searches are not likely to be the root cause of delay in conveyancing in Selston.
Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to my property are lost. The lawyers who conducted the conveyancing in Selston 4 years ago no longer exist. What do I do?
These day there are copies made of almost everything, and your conveyancer will be aware precisely where to look for all the relevant documentation so you may buy or sell your property without any difficulty. If copies can’t be found, your lawyer can put in place insurance or indemnities against future claims on the property.