I am getting a mortgage with Lloyds. I intend to enlist the help of a Licensed Conveyancer in Helmsley. Does the Lloyds Solicitor panel include conveyancers regulated by the CLC?
The Lloyds approved solicitor list is, like many other lenders, associated to the Council or Mortgage Lenders or BSA, open to Licensed Conveyancers regulated by the CLC.
Can you help? My Helmsley solicitor is assuring me that he is legally obliged toconduct Helmsley conveyancing searches asthe firm are on the Virgin Moneysolicitor panel. Do I not have a choice here?
You have limited options available to you. As you are taking a home loan with a mortgage company your property lawyer has to comply with their conditions as set out in their version of the CML Conveyancing Handbook. Your conveyancing practitioner would have previously signed the Terms and Conditions of your bank’s conveyancing panel appointment which obliges them to follow the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook specifications . Even if you were a cash buyer you would be ill advised not to carry out Helmsley conveyancing searches.
Forgive me if this question is silly but I am unexperienced as FTB of a ground floor flat in Helmsley. Do I receive the keys to the premises on the completion date from my solicitor? If this is the case, I will instruct a local conveyancing solicitor in Helmsley?
On the day of completion you will not be required to attend the conveyancers office in Helmsley. Conveyancing lawyers for you will transfer the purchase money to the vendor’s lawyers, and once they have received this, you will be called to pick up the keys from the Estate Agents and start moving into the property. Usually this occurs between 1 and 3pm.
I have today made my last payment due on my mortgage with Nationwide. I assume I don't need a Helmsley lawyer on the Nationwide panel to remove the mortgage at the Land Registry. Am I right?
If you have finished paying off your Nationwide 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 Nationwide mortgage from the register. Nationwide, 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 Nationwide has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
- Nationwide has instructed the Land Registry to do so
After months of negotiation I have agreed a price on an apartment in Helmsley. My financial adviser recommended their conveyancers. I paid an upfront payment of £225. Shortly after, the lawyer contacted me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the Nationwide conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?
You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Nationwide panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.
Me and my brother have a terraced Victorian house in Helmsley. Conveyancing solicitor acted for me and HSBC Bank. I did a free Land Registry search last week and I saw two entries: the first freehold, the second leasehold under the matching address. Is it worth asking HSBC Bank to clarify?
You need to read the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register as there may be 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 Helmsley and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they remortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with lenders. You can also check the situation with the conveyancing lawyer who completed the work.
I am thinking of appointing a conveyancing practitioner in Helmsley for my remortgage. Can I see a solicitor's complaints history with the legal regulator?
One may find documented Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) decisions resulting from investigations from 2008 onwards. Go to Check a solicitor's record. To find information about the period before 1 January 2008, or to check a firm's history, call 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 any week day save for Tuesday when lines open at 9.30am. For non-uk callers, call +44 (0)121 329 6800. The SRA could monitor call for training requirements.