My fiance and I are looking to purchase a flat in Llandaff and are in fact using a Llandaff conveyancing practice. Within the past 48 hours our solicitor has sent a preliminary report and documents to look through with the expectation that exchange is imminent. Coventry Building Society have this morning contacted us to inform me that they have now hit a problem as our Llandaff lawyer is not on their conveyancing panel. What do we do from here?
When purchasing a property with mortgage finance it is conventional 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 Accreditation 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 don't have to instruct a firm on the lender’s conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own Llandaff solicitors, in which case your legal fees may increase, and it may delay matters as you have another set of people involved.
We are close to exchanging contracts on the sale of our home in Llandaff and according to the buyers it appears that there is a possibility that the property was constructed land that was not decontaminated. A local lawyer would know this is not the case. It does beg the question why the purchasers instructed a web based conveyancing practice as opposed to a conveyancing solicitor in Llandaff. Having lived in Llandaff for 4 years we know that this is a non issue. Do we get in touch with our local Authority to obtain clarification that the buyers are looking for.
It sounds as though you may have a conveyancing solicitor currently acting for you. Are they able to advise? You need to enquire of your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out life insurance to cover that same illness)
I used Arc property Solicitors several years past for my conveyancing in Llandaff. I now require my file but the law firm has closed. What do I do?
Do contact the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to assist in tracking down your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Llandaff of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously used, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.
Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold element on a property I have offered on a fortnight ago in what should have been a quick, no chain conveyancing. Llandaff is where the house is located. Can you offer any assistance?
Flying freeholds in Llandaff are not the norm but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even though you don't necessarily need a conveyancing solicitor in Llandaff you would need to get your solicitor to go through the deeds thoroughly. Your lender may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Llandaff may determine that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold residence.
My husband and I are FTB’s - agreed a price, yet the estate agent has warned us that the owners will only go ahead if we use their preferred solicitors as they are insisting on a ‘quick sale’. My instinct tells me that we should use a family solicitor with experience of conveyancing in Llandaff
It is improbable the sellers are driving this. Should the seller require ‘a quick sale', alienating a serious purchaser is going to damage their objectives. Speak to the owners direct and make the point that (a)you are motivated buyers (b)you are ready to go, with mortgage lined up © you are chain free (d) you wish to move quickly (e)however you are going to appoint your own,trusted Llandaff conveyancing firm - as opposed tothe ones that will earn the negotiator at the agency a kickback or meet his conveyancing figures pre-set by senior management.