We're in Kent, First time buyers buying with a mortgage (lender is Nottingham , and our solicitor is on the Nottingham conveyancing panel). How long should the conveyancing process take?
The fact that your lawyer is on the Nottingham conveyancing panel is a help. It would almost certainly delay matters if they were not. However, no property lawyer should guarantee a timeframe for your conveyancing, due to third parties outside of your control such as delays caused by lenders,conveyancing search providers or by the other side’s solicitors. The time taken is often determined by the number of parties in a chain.
I am assisting my sister sell her property in Kent. Does the solicitor commission the energy assessment or should I organise this?
Following the demise of Home Packs, energy performance certificates was left as a compulsory element of selling a house. An EPC should be commissioned before the property is advertised. It is not as aspect of the sale process that law firms ordinarily organise. Where you are instructing a Kent conveyancing solicitor they may be willing to arrange energy assessments due to their contacts with long established Kent providers
We are getting a further advance on our home loan from Yorkshire BS as we want to conduct renovations to our property in Kent. Do we need to select a nearby Kent solicitor on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel to deal with the legals?
Yorkshire BS would not normally require firms on their approved list of lawyers to handle such a matter. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel.
After shopping around on the internet I have found a Kent conveyancing practitioner having made sure that they are on the UBS conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?
UBS will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually UBS will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. You may wish to consider appointing your own Kent surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller.
How does conveyancing in Kent differ for new build properties?
Most buyers of new build or newly converted property in Kent contact us having been asked by the seller to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the property is ready to move into. This is because house builders in Kent tend to buy the land, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct conveyancers as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are accustomed to new build conveyancing in Kent or who has acted in the same development.
How easy is it to swap firm as I need to retain one who is on the Godiva Mortgages Ltd conveyancing panel. I was using a family conveyancing solicitor in Kent round the corner but the firm is not accepted by Godiva Mortgages Ltd
We will our best to assist in finding you a conveyancing solicitor in Kent on the Godiva Mortgages Ltd panel. Please note that the property lawyers that we on the directory do not pay us fee if you instruct them and are under regulation of the Solicitors Regulation Authority who regulate all conveyancing solicitors in Kent. Using search facility on this site, you can contrast charges for conveyancing solicitors in Kent and beyond.
We're novice buyers - had an offer accepted, yet the estate agent informed us that the owners will only go ahead if we instruct their chosen conveyancers as they want a ‘quick sale’. My instinct tells me that we should use a high street solicitor who is accustomed to conveyancing in Kent
It is unlikely the owners are driving this. Should the vendor require ‘a quick sale', turning down a genuine buyer is going to damage their objectives. Speak to the vendors direct and make sure they comprehend that (a)you are keen to buy (b)you are excited to move forward, with finances in place © you do not need to sell (d) you wish to move quickly (e)but you will continue to use your own,trusted Kent conveyancing lawyers - rather thanthose that will earn their estate agent a referral fee or meet his conveyancing figures set by head office.