My lender has suggested a law firm on their panel based in Merseyside but I would rather instruct a conveyancing lawyer in Merseyside or nearer to where I live. Are you able to assist?
Not all Merseyside conveyancing firms are listed all lender’s conveyancing panel. Please make the most of our find an approved solicitor tool to find a Merseyside conveyancing conveyancer on the on the bank panel.
Please help - my lawyer advises that chancel insurance is required on my purchase. What is the typical level of cover needed for conveyancing in Merseyside?
The right level of chancel indemnity insurance should be dictated by who your lender. It would differ for example between Halifax and Skipton Building Society. Conveyancing practitioners as opposed to members of the public take out such policies.
I'm at the point of viewing houses in Merseyside and I am now considering a potential offer. Is it advisable to have my conveyancing practitioner on ‘stand by’? I am planning to take a mortgage with Leeds Building Society.
It would be sensible to commence your search sooner rather than later. 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 EA. As you are getting a mortgage with Leeds Building Society, make sure you remember to check that your lawyer is on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel.
I was told four weeks ago that my mortgage has been agreed to by Skipton. Is it usual for Skipton to only issue the offer once my solicitor in Merseyside is approved on their conveyancing panel? Skipton have asked my solicitor to see a copy of their Professional Indemnity Insurance Schedule.
A lender would not issue a mortgage until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Skipton to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the Skipton conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.
Various online forums that I have come across warn that are a common reason for stalling in Merseyside house deals. Is this right?
The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) released determinations of research by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not figure within the top 10 causes of hindrances in the conveyancing process. Searches are not likely to be the root cause of holding up conveyancing in Merseyside.
I used Stirling Law a few years past for my conveyancing in Merseyside. I now require my file but the law firm is no longer operating. What do I do?
You should contact the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to assist in tracing 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 Merseyside of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously instructed, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.
Why do Merseyside conveyancing fees are higher for leasehold and freehold properties?
If purchasing a leasehold property there is more work involved purely due to the fact that usually there are further parties involved in the form of the freeholder and/or Management Agents. As part of a lawyers enquiries they will check that all ground rent and service charges are paid up to date amongst other general leasehold matters. For this reason, the Sellers lawyers usually have to refer to the freeholder or Managing Agent for their replies to our questions. This may be time consuming and beyond the lawyers control