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Find a Sea Mills Conveyancing Solictior on Your Lender’s Panel

Ready to buy a new home in Sea Mills? Failing to check that a lawyer is on your lender’s list of approved solicitors can put your Sea Mills home move at risk of delay or failure.

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Recently asked questions about conveyancing in Sea Mills

I am selling my flat in Sea Mills and the EA has just telephoned to advise that the buyers are swapping law firm. I am told that this is due to the fact that the lender will only deal with property lawyers on their approved list. On what basis would a major mortgage company only engage with specific law firms rather the firm that they want to appoint to handle their conveyancing in Sea Mills ?

Lenders have always had panels of law firms that can act for them, but in the last few years big names such as HSBC, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have worked with them for more than 15 years.

Banks point to the increase in fraud as the reason for the reduction – criteria have been narrowed as a smaller panel is easier to oversee. Banks tend not to reveal how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society claims that it is being contacted daily by practices that have been removed from panels. Plenty of firms do not even realise they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyers' case. The purchasers are not going to have any impact on this.

I have given 8 weeks notice to my current landlord and must leave my rented property in Sea Mills by 25/3/2025. Conveyancing on my purchase has just started. How realistic is it to complete in six weeks as don't want to have to move into temporary accommodation?

It is unwise to provide notice on a rental until you have exchanged. Assuming that you have not already done so, update to your lawyer and request that they seek the assistance the sellers side, try to an acceptable time-line that all parties will aim to achieve

I am selling my flat. I had a double glazing fitted in April 2007, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My purchaser’s mortgage company, Virgin Money are being difficult. The Sea Mills solicitor who is on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel is saying indemnity insurance will be fine but Virgin Money are insisting on a building regulation certificate. Why do Virgin Money have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?

It is probably the case that Virgin Money have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Virgin Money 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.

Intending to buy a maisonette in Sea Mills. I have received an online quote from a licenced conveyancer, which states: "There will be no charge for dealing with the Building Society if you are obtaining a mortgage". I take this to mean that there will be no additional fee if the solicitor is on the TSB conveyancing panel. I wanted to make sure it means there will be no additional fees for dealing with the mortgage.

They are simply saying that the cost for acting for the lender is included in the fee being quoted. It is worth you checking that the Sea Mills conveyancing practitioner is on the TSB conveyancing panel.

After shopping around on the internet I have found a Sea Mills solicitor having checked that they are on the Co-operative conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?

Co-operative will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Co-operative will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. You may wish to consider appointing your own Sea Mills surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller.

In relation to leasehold conveyancing in Sea Mills what are the most common lease defects?

There is nothing unique about leasehold conveyancing in Sea Mills. All leases are individual and drafting errors can sometimes mean that certain clauses are missing. The following missing provisions could result in a defective lease:

    Clauses dealing with recovering service charges for expenditure on the building or common parts. Maintenance charge proportions which don’t add up to the correct percentage

A defective lease can cause issues when trying to sell a property primarily because it impacts on the ability to obtain a mortgage on the property. Yorkshire Building Society, Leeds Building Society, and Barclays Direct all have very detailed requirements when it comes to what is expected in a lease. Where a lender has been advised by their lawyers that the lease does not cover certain provisions they may refuse to grant the mortgage, obliging the purchaser to withdraw.

Sea Mills Leasehold Conveyancing - Examples of Queries before Purchasing

    Is the freehold reversion owned jointly by the tenants? The prefered form of lease structure is if the freehold interest is owned by the leaseholders. In this arrangement the leaseholders benefit from being in charge if their destiny and although a managing agent is often employed where it is bigger than a house conversion, the managing agent retained by the leaseholders. You will want to discover as much as possible concerning the managing agents as they will affect your use and enjoyment of the property. As the owner of a leasehold property you are often in the clutches of the managing agents from a financial perspective and when it comes to daily issues such as the cleanliness of the common parts. Ask other tenants what they think of them. On a final note, be sure you discover the dates that you are obliged pay the service charge to the appropriate party and precisely what you get for your money.

Should one as executor remove a deceased person's details from the title register for a property in Sea Mills?

If a Sea Mills property is co-owned and one of the proprietors dies, the name will not automatically be removed from the title deeds. You are not required to remove their name as when it comes to a sale your lawyer would just need to supply proof as to the reason the joint owner is not included in the contract, such as a grant of probate.

With a view to making things smoother for the sale of the property you can arrange to have the deceased name erased from the title by applying to HM Land Registry with evidence of the death. There is no land registry fee payable.

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