What does my ID and proof of funds have anything to do with my conveyancing in Greater Manchester? Why is this being asked of me?
Greater Manchester conveyancing solicitors as well as nationwide property lawyers throughout the UK have a duty under Anti-terror and anti-money-laundering rules to check the identity of any client with a view to ensure that clients are who they say they are.
Conveyancing clients will need to disclose two forms of certified identification; proof of identity (typically a Passport or Driving Licence) and evidence of address (typically a Bank Statement less than 3 months old).
Evidence of source of monies is also necessary in compliance with the money laundering regulations as solicitors are duty bound to ensure that the money you are utilising to buy a property (be it the exchange deposit or the full purchase amount where you are buying mortgage free) has originated from legitimate source (such as an inheritance) as opposed to the proceeds of criminal activity.
My home in Greater Manchester is up for sale and I have a purchaser. Will the solicitor have to be on the Santander conveyancing panel in order to deal with the discharge of my mortgage?
Ordinarily, even if your lawyer is not on the Santander conveyancing panel they can still act for you on your sale. It might be that the lender will not release the original deeds (if applicable and increasingly irrelevant) until after the mortgage is paid off. You should speak to your lawyer directly before you start the process though to ensure that there is no problem as lenders are changing their specifications fairly frequently in recent years.
Is it the case that all Greater Manchester solicitors on the Nottingham conveyancing panel are regulated by the SRA?
As a firm of solicitors, in order to be on the Nottingham approved list of solicitors they would need to be governed by the SRA. Many lenders do permit licenced conveyancers on their panel in which case such practice would be governed by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.
My wife and I are spending time viewing flats in Greater Manchester and I am about to put in an offer. Is it premature to have a solicitor in place? I am planning to take a home loan with Virgin Money.
You should start obtaining conveyancing estimates from solicitors ASAP. Once you decide who you want to use and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and pass their details on to the selling agent. Given that you are obtaining a mortgage with Virgin Money, make sure you remember to check that your lawyer is on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel.
I have paid off my mortgage with Principality. I assume I don't need a Greater Manchester conveyancer on the Principality panel to remove the mortgage at the Land Registry. Please confirm.
If you have finished paying off your Principality mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the Principality mortgage from the register. Principality, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:
- but are not moving to another property
- where Principality has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
- Principality has instructed the Land Registry to do so
I have been on the look out for a flat up to £305k and identified one round the corner in Greater Manchester I like with amenity areas and transport links in the vicinity, the downside is that it only has 52 years unexpired on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Greater Manchester for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error purchasing a short lease?
Should you require a home loan that many years may be problematic. Reduce the price by the expected lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the existing owner has owned the property for at least 2 years you may ask them to start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer about this matter.
What makes your site different to alternative internet conveyancing brokers for conveyancing in Greater Manchester?
At this site obtain a conveyancing quote from a Solicitor or Licensed Conveyancer that appreciates the nuances for your conveyancing in Greater Manchester. Unlike many estate agents and many comparison sites we do not operate commission arrangements with solicitors. Some agents and online brokers 'recommend' solicitors that pays the most commission, rather than the best value conveyancing in Greater Manchester