My fiance and I are looking to acquire a home in Alfreton and have appointed a Alfreton conveyancing firm. Within the last couple of days our lawyer has forwarded the sale agreement to be signed with a detailed report with a view to exchanging next week. Bank of Scotland have this afternoon contacted us to inform me that there is now an issue as our Alfreton solicitor is not on their conveyancing panel. What do we do from here?
When purchasing a property with mortgage finance 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 property lawyer should contact your lender 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 lender’s conveyancing panel as you are at liberty to use your preferred Alfreton lawyers, in which case it will likely add costs, and it will likely delay the transaction as you have another set of people involved.
Me and my partner are soon to exchange on the purchase of a house in Alfreton but as a result of damage from a small fire at the property I have was able negotiate recompense from the seller in the sum of £2k in the form of a adjustment in the price. I had intended this to be dealt with as part of a side agreement yet HSBC will not permit this. Should they have been approached?
Your lawyer being on the HSBC approved list is required to advise HSBC of any variations to the purchase price. If you were to refuse your conveyancing practitioner to report the reduction to HSBC then they would have to discontinue acting for you. In addition, HSBC and you would have to appoint a new conveyancer for your conveyancing in Alfreton.
What does commercial conveyancing in Alfreton cover?
Alfreton conveyancing for business premises incorporates a wide array of services, supplied by regulated solicitors, relating to business premises. For example, this area of conveyancing can cover the sale or purchase of freehold business premises or, more commonly, the assignment of existing business tenancies or the drafting of new leasing arrangements. Commercial conveyancing solicitors can also offer advice on the sale of business assets, commercial loans and the termination of leases.
My partner has suggested that I use his lawyers for conveyancing in Alfreton. Should I choose my own solicitor?
No doubt the best way to choose a conveyancing practitioner is to get referrals from friends or family who have actually experience in using the conveyancer that you are considering.
I acquired a property in Alfreton last 24/7/2020 and to date it is still not registered with the Land Registry. It is part of a new estate and my conveyancer told me that it can take over a year to register. I have called HMLR directly and they have informed me the original application was cancelled due to questions not being addressed in time. Should I be concerned?
It is your conveyancing practitioner that you really need to get in touch with in order to satisfy any questions which have arisen as part of the registration process for your Alfreton property. Normal Alfreton conveyancing practice includes an undertaking on the part of the previous owner’s conveyancer that they will help resolve any requirements raised by HMLR so it may be a case of seeking to enforce that undertaking in some way.