My husband and I are looking to purchase a flat in Northumberland and have appointed a Northumberland conveyancing firm. Within the last couple of days our solicitor has forwarded the sale agreement to be signed with a detailed report with the expectation that exchange is imminent. Birmingham Midshires have this morning contacted us to inform me that there is now an issue as our Northumberland solicitor is not on their approved list of lawyers. What do we do from here?
Where you are buying a property needing a mortgage it is normal for the purchasers' solicitors 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 lawyers to represent them. You don't have to instruct a firm on the lender’s conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own Northumberland solicitors, in which case it will likely add costs, and it may delay matters as you are adding another lawyer into the mix.
My partner and I are acquiring our first house. The property lawyer has e-mailedto see if we want to purchase supplemental conveyancing searches. We are really unsure what's appropriate for conveyancing in Northumberland
The extent of Northumberland conveyancing searches depends entirely on the premises, the location, the probability of any of these risks, your knowledge of the area and risks, your overall appetite to risk. What is important is that you adequately comprehend what information the searches could provide. Then you can make a decision if you personally think you need that search. If unclear, ask your property lawyer to guide you.
After looking at mumsnet.com for a cheap lawyer in Northumberland, many say that I must use a CQS kitemarked solicitor. Can you explain what CQS is?
The Conveyancing Quality Scheme (CQS) provides a kitemark for residential conveyancing practices issued by the Law Society. Membership achievement establishes a level of credibility for member firms with stakeholders (regulators, lenders, insurers and consumers) based upon: * the integrity of the senior responsible officer and other key conveyancing staff * the firm's adherence to good practice management standards * compliance with prudent and efficient conveyancing processes via the scheme protocol the standard includes many partnerships who perform conveyancing in Northumberland.
We are planning to move home in October. Does my conveyancing solicitor liaise with the removal company on the day of completion. As an aside, can you suggest a removal company in Northumberland. Conveyancing solicitor was chosen prior to coming across this website.
On the day of completion you will need to pick up the house keys from the estate agent however this should only happen once the sellers lawyers confirm to the agent that they acknowledge receipt of the completion payment and the keys can be passed over. Subsequently you will need to tell the removal men that you are ready to move in. As a matter of policy we do not suggest a specific removal organisation but can assist you in finding a conveyancing in Northumberland or a solicitor with expertise in conveyancing in Northumberland.
I am due to exchange contracts on my flat. I had a double glazing fitted in June 2007, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My buyer's mortgage company, TSB are being difficult. The Northumberland solicitor who is on the TSB conveyancing panel is saying indemnity insurance will be fine but TSB are insisting on a building regulation certificate. Why do TSB have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?
It is probably the case that TSB have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why TSB may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing was correctly and safely installed. The indemnity insurance merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.
I had an offer accepted on a property in Northumberland on 7/8/2023, valuation was booked five days after, all came back fine. Property lawyer instructed, so all that was missing was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to Kent Reliance and chasing them on my offer, I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel. Can the lender hold off the offer?
A lender would not issue an offer until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Kent Reliance to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.
Will my lawyer be raising questions concerning flooding as part of the conveyancing in Northumberland.
Flooding is a growing risk for conveyancers specialising in conveyancing in Northumberland. There are those who purchase a property in Northumberland, fully expectant that at some time, it may be flooded. However, leaving to one side the physical damage, if a house is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to obtain a mortgage, adequate building insurance, or dispose of the premises. Steps can be carried out during the course of a house purchase to forewarn the purchaser.
Conveyancers are not best placed to offer advice on flood risk, however there are a various searches that can be carried out by the buyer or by their lawyers which should figure out the risks in Northumberland. The standard information sent to a purchaser’s conveyancer (where the Conveyancing Protocol is adopted) includes a standard inquiry of the vendor to determine whether the premises has ever been flooded. In the event that flooding has previously occurred and is not revealed by the owner, then a buyer may bring a legal claim for losses as a result of such an incorrect answer. A buyer’s lawyers should also conduct an enviro report. This should disclose whether there is any known flood risk. If so, more detailed inquiries should be made.