My fiance and I are looking to buy a property in Custom House and have instructed a Custom House conveyancing practice. Within the last couple of days our conveyancer has forwarded the sale agreement to be signed with a detailed report with the expectation that exchange is imminent. have this evening contacted us to advise us that there is now an issue as our Custom House solicitor is not on their conveyancing panel. Is this a problem?

When purchasing a property with the benefit of a mortgage it is standard 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 Accreditation 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 as you are at liberty to use your preferred Custom House lawyers, in which case it will likely add costs, and it may delay matters as you have another set of people involved.

I require conveyancing for an apartment in a fairly new development (6 years built) in Custom House. The vast majority the flats have already been sold. Is it really necessary to order neighbourhood searches as part of conveyancing in Custom House?

You would be putting yourself at risk in failing carrying out Custom House conveyancing searches. Without searches you have no clarity over flooding, environmental etc which may mean you walk away due to potential problems down the line. If you are buying mortgage free there is no legal necessity to have them, but we would strongly advise in the strongest possible terms that your solicitor conducts them. Where accelerating the process and price are primary issues you should discuss with your conveyancer about the options such as contingency insurance available to you

Are all Custom House Conveyancing Quality Solicitors on the conveyancing list of approved practices?

Some major lenders now utilise the accreditation scheme as the kick off point for Panel approval such as HSBC and Santander. The Law Society’s CQS membership however is no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. Nevertheless,the Council of Mortgage Lenders have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for firms wishing to join their panels.

When it comes to lenders such as , do Custom House have to pay an annual charge to be on the list of approved solicitors?

We are not aware of any mortgage company fees to be on their panel, although some do charge an administration fee to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel submission.

I currently have a mortgage with for my property in Custom House. Conveyancing has been completed months ago. In the event that I decide to rent out the flat and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a buy-to-let mortgage or inform ?

must be informed of your intention before renting your property as this is likely to be a breach of ’s mortgage conditions. In many cases banks or building societies will allow you to rent out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact directly. It should not be necessary to do this via a conveyancing panel lawyer.

Do commercial conveyancing searches disclose impending roadworks that may affect a commercial site in Custom House?

Its becoming the norm that commercial conveyancing solicitors in Custom House will perform a SiteSolutions Highways report as it dramatically cuts the time that conveyancers invest in sourcing accurate data on highways that impact buildings and development assets in Custom House. 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 Custom House.

For each commercial conveyancing transaction in Custom House it is crucial to investigate the adoption status of roads surrounding a site. Failure to identify developments where adoption procedures have not been addressed adequately could cause delays to Custom House commercial conveyancing deals as well as pose a risk to future intentions for the site. These searches are not conducted for domestic conveyancing in Custom House.

Custom House Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Sample of Queries Prior to buying

Is anyone aware of any major works in the planning that will increase the service costs? It would be prudent to find out as much as you can regarding the managing agents as they can either make living at the property much simpler or a lot more difficult. Being a leasehold owner you will be in the clutches of the managing agents both financially and when it comes to practical issues such as the tidiness of the communal areas. Enquire of other people whether they are happy with them. In conclusion, investigate as to the dates that the maintenance charges are due to the relevant party and specifically what it includes. Who takes responsibility for maintaining and repairing the block?