My partner and I are hoping to purchase a flat in Kettering and are in fact using a Kettering conveyancing firm. 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 afternoon contacted us to inform me that there is now an issue as our Kettering solicitor is not on their approved list of lawyers. Is this a problem?
Where you are buying a property needing a mortgage it is conventional for the purchasers' lawyers to also act for the purchaser's lender. 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 solicitor 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 are not legally obliged to appoint a law firm on the bank's conveyancing panel as you are at liberty to use your preferred Kettering lawyers, in which case your legal fees may increase, and it will likely delay the transaction as you have another set of people involved.
Are you able to suggest a accepted Kettering conveyancing practice finish our house move within less than a month? Am I best advised to choose a high street Kettering practice or a factory type comparison site?
We can recommend some very good Kettering conveyancing firms. You can also walk up the main road in Kettering. Go in to two or three law practices and request to speak with a conveyancing solicitor for a fee estimate. Explain your deadline together with the reasons and get an assurance on your deadline. Appoint the one that appears most efficient.
Do the Building Society Association intend to launch a searchable register to list practices on the conveyancing panel for instance in Kettering?
We are not aware of any plans on the part of the BSA to develop such a register.
Should our lawyer be raising questions concerning flooding as part of the conveyancing in Kettering.
Flooding is a growing risk for solicitors dealing with homes in Kettering. There are those who buy a house in Kettering, fully expectant that at some time, it may be flooded. However, leaving to one side the physical destruction, if a property is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to get a mortgage, satisfactory building insurance, or sell the property. There are steps that can be taken as part of the conveyancing process to forewarn the buyer.
Lawyers are not best placed to offer advice on flood risk, but there are a various checks that can be undertaken by the buyer or by their solicitors which can give them a better appreciation of the risks in Kettering. The standard information given to a buyer’s lawyer (where the Conveyancing Protocol is adopted) contains a usual question of the vendor to determine whether the property has suffered from flooding. If flooding has previously occurred and is not notified by the seller, then a purchaser may issue a claim for damages as a result of such an inaccurate response. A buyer’s conveyancers should also order an environmental search. This will higlight if there is any known flood risk. If so, more detailed inquiries will need to be made.
Is it simple use your search facility to select a conveyancing practitioner in Kettering on the authorised to act for my bank?
Step one is to select a lender such as , or then type in your preferred area for instance Kettering. Conveyancing practices in Kettering and across England and Wales should be identified.