I require conveyancing for a flat in a relatively new development (seven years built) in Melbourne. The vast majority the properties have already been disposed of. Is it strictly necessary to order neighbourhood searches as part of conveyancing in Melbourne?
If you are purchasing a property with the assistance of a loan, your bank will need some (many) of the searches so you'll have no choice. If not, then Melbourne conveyancing searches are for you to decide upon. No doubt your conveyancer, will 'advise', perhaps strongly, that you should not go ahead without searches, but he or she has a professional duty to do this. One thing to bear in mind; if you are likely to sell the house one day, it may be of interest to your future buyer what the searches contain. Sometimes houses with no practical issues can still throw up adverse search results. But if you choose to instruct your lawyer to proceed without searches then your lawyer will have to follow your instructions or you will need to switch to another solicitor for your conveyancing in Melbourne.
When it comes to lenders such as Coventry BS, do Melbourne lawyers incur a fee to be on the conveyancing panel?
We are not aware of any bank fees to be on their panel, although some do charge an administration fee to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel application.
My wife and I are at the point of viewing houses in Melbourne and I am now considering a potential offer. Should I already have a property lawyer appointed at this point? I will be getting a mortgage with Co-operative.
You should start requesting conveyancing quotes from solicitors ASAP. After you have chosen your lawyer and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and forward their details on to the selling agent. As you are seeking a mortgage with Co-operative, ask your prospective lawyers if they are on the Co-operative conveyancing panel otherwise they can't do the mortgage legal work.
My offer was accepted on an apartment in Melbourne on 26/2/2019, valuation was booked 4 days later, all came back fine. Solicitor appointed, so the only thing outstanding was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to Bank of Ireland and chasing them on my offer, I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel. Can the lender hold off the offer?
Mortgage companies tend not to not issue an offer until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Bank of Ireland to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.
I used Action Conveyancing a few years ago for my conveyancing in Melbourne. I now require my file however the law firm has closed. What do I do?
You should contact the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to help locate 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 Melbourne of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously hired, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.
Due to the guidance of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a property in Melbourne in advance of instructing solicitors. I have been told that there is a flying freehold element to the house. The surveyor has said that some lenders tend not grant a mortgage on this type of home.
It depends who your proposed lender is. Santander has different requirements for example to Birmingham Midshires. Should you wish to telephone us we can look into this further via the relevant lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Melbourne. Conveyancing may be slightly more expensive based on your lender's requirements.
My step-father has recommend that I instruct his lawyers for conveyancing in Melbourne. Should I choose my own conveyancer?
There are no two ways about it the ideal way to choose a conveyancing solicitor is to seek feedback from friends or family who have used the firm that you are considering.