My husband and I are looking to acquire a flat in Raunds and are in fact using a Raunds conveyancing practice. Within the past 48 hours our property lawyer has sent a preliminary report and documents to look through in anticipation of exchanging contracts shortly. Barclays Direct have this afternoon contacted us to inform me that they have now hit a problem as our Raunds solicitor is not on their approved list of lawyers. Please explain?
When purchasing a property with the benefit of a mortgage it is normal for the purchasers' solicitors to also act for the purchaser's lender. 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 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 as you are at liberty to use your preferred Raunds lawyers, in which case your legal fees may increase, and it may delay matters as you have another set of people involved.
I can see plenty of here regarding conveyancing in Raunds but can you isolate your top tip for appointing the right conveyancer in Raunds
It would be unwise to be seduced by the lowest Raunds conveyancing quote. You really do get what you pay for when it comes to property lawyers. A cheap quote may mean that the conveyancing solicitor is handling a lot of jobs at one time and you won’t get the quality of service and the attention that you need. It is, however, wise to use a conveyancer who has a fixed fee on a no sale, no fee basis. This way, you go into the conveyancing with your eyes wide open.
Can you point me to a directory of Barclays panel solicitors in Raunds on the Building Society Association’s Website?
No. There is no such tool on the CML or Building Society Association sites. A small selection of lenders make their panel listings open the public online. Where you are seeking to appoint a Raunds property lawyer on the Barclays please make the most of our tool.
We were going to get a AIP from Barclays this week so we can work out what to offer on a property we like as otherwise we are dependent on web based calculators (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do Barclays recommend any Raunds solicitors on the Barclays conveyancing panel, or is it better to go independently?
You will need to appoint Raunds solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the Barclays conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and Barclays through the process.
Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly identified as part of conveyancing in Raunds?
Covenants that are restrictive in nature can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the process of conveyancing in Raunds. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’
How do I identify a Raunds law firm on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel? I am a keen cyclist and am happy to travel upto 20kilometers to meet the lawyer.
You can use the facility on this website. Please pick a lender and your location and you will see a number of Raunds conveyancing lawyers based on proximity. We have detailed some Raunds conveyancing firms towards the end of this page and you can telephone them to see whether they are on the Leeds Building Society panel
We are considering instructing an online solicitor as opposed to a Raunds conveyancing practice. Am I making a mistake?
Numerous benefits exist in being able to visit a local Raunds conveyancing solicitor such as
- signing papers on short notice
- getting face-to-face explanations of issues that need explaining
- the ability to complain if things go pear-shaped
When analysing fees, look carefully for hidden extras. Most decent Raunds high street solicitors give an all-inclusive figure. Many online agents seem to offer cheap prices, yet have hidden 'extras' in the small print.