My partner and I are planning to acquire a home in Leven and have appointed a Leven conveyancing firm. Within the past 48 hours our lawyer has sent a preliminary report and documents to look through in anticipation of exchanging contracts shortly. Birmingham Midshires have this morning contacted us to advise us that there is now an issue as our Leven solicitor is not on their conveyancing panel. Is this a problem?
Where you are buying a property needing a mortgage it is usual for the purchasers' lawyers to also represent 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 Quality 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 are not legally obliged to appoint a law firm on the lender’s conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own Leven solicitors, in which case it will likely add costs, and it will likely delay the transaction as you are adding another lawyer into the mix.
I am purchasing a property without a mortgage in Leven. I have been residing for the last dozen years in Leven. Conveyancing searches are a lot of money. As I know the road and vicinity intimately must I have all the conveyancing searches?
In the absence of a home loan, then almost all of the Leven conveyancing searches are optional. Your solicitor will try and sway you, no-doubt strongly, that you should have searches done, but he is duty bound to take that path of advice. One thing to take into account; if you are going to dispose of the house one day, it may be of importance to your future purchaser what the searches disclose. There are plenty of instances where premises with no practical issues can still show up unfavourable search results. A good conveyancing solicitor in Leven will provide you some constructive advice concerning this.
I am helping my mother sell her flat in Leven. Will the solicitor commission an energy performance certificate or it is for the seller to see to?
After the demise of Home Information Packs, energy assessments remained a mandatory part of moving house. An EPC should be commissioned in advance of the property being marketed. It is not as aspect of the sale process that law firms normally organise. If you are using a Leven conveyancing practitioner they may help arrange energy assessments given their relationships with reputable Leven accredited person
I am purchasing a property in Leven. One unusual aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Solicitors conducting should look into this right? Will my lender Coventry BS be concerned?
Given that you are obtaining a mortgage with Coventry BS your lawyer must comply with the conveyancing instructions outlined in Section 2 of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Coventry BS. The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook sets out minimum requirements for solar panel roof-space leases, and lawyers are required to report to Coventry BS where a lease fails to satisfy these provisions. The provisions relate to the installation of panels on properties in England and Wales and is not limited to Leven.
My wife and I are in the throws of looking at flats in Leven and I am about to put in an offer. Is it best to have a lawyer on ‘stand by’? I intend to finance via a mortgage with Co-operative.
It would be prudent to start your search sooner rather than later. 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 estate agent. As you are getting a mortgage with Co-operative, make sure you remember to check that your lawyer is on the Co-operative conveyancing panel.
How easy is it to use your search facility to get a fee calculation from a conveyancing practitioner in Leven on the approved list for my bank?
1st pick a mortgage company such as Accord Mortgages Ltd, Chelsea Building Society or TSB then specify your preferred area such as Leven. Conveyancing practices in Leven and beyond will then be listed.
We are about to buying a house in Leven. Could our conveyancer have the amount we are are buying for a secret from the likes of Nestoria. Is this achievable and how?
The Land Registry by statute are obliged to reveal price sold information on the official title for domestic properties countrywide which includes homes in Leven. The register of title is a public document, so HMLR would be breaking the law excluded certain homes such as the property in Leven.
You can ask HM Land Registry to hide the amount paid entry but the answer would be in the negative.