Me and my fiance are planning to buy a 1 bedroom flat in Selsdon with a mortgage. We wish to retain our Selsdon solicitor, however the bank says he's not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the mortgage company panel firms or keep our Selsdon solicitor as well as pay for one of their panel lawyers to represent them. We feel that this is inequitable; are we not able to demand that the mortgage company use our Selsdon solicitor ?
No, not really. The mortgage offered to you is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the bank’s conveyancing panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. A further alternative is for your Selsdon conveyancing solicitor to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.
Is it necessary during the course of the conveyancing process to attend the offices of the solicitor to sign the mortgage deed? If so, I will choose one who does conveyancing in Selsdon so that I can attend their offices when needed.
Whereas this was necessary 15 years ago, the vast majority lenders no longer require their conveyancing panel lawyer to witness the mortgagors signature. It will still be necessary for you to hand over identification documents and there are still manifest benefits to instructing a locally based practitioner, in your case a conveyancing solicitor in Selsdon.
I am buying a detached bungalow in Selsdon. We would like to carry out an extension to the side at the house.Will legal conveyancing on the property involve enquiries to determine if these alterations were previously refused?
Your conveyancer will check the registered title as conveyancing in Selsdon can sometimes reveal restrictions in the title documents which restrict categories of changes or require the consent of a 3rd party. Some works call for local authority planning permissions and approval in accordance building regulations. Certain areas are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which often prevent or affect extensions. It would be wise to check these issues with a surveyor ahead of any purchase.
Having digested plenty of mortgage guides, I note that they all recommend that you should get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Selsdon solicitor - who is on the Coventry BS conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. is that correct?
Coventry BS will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Coventry BS 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. Your lawyer will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by your Selsdon postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Coventry BS, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Selsdon.
Our offer on a detached house in Selsdon has been accepted, the owners do however have an associated purchase. The sellers have placed an offer on a flat, however it’s not yet agreed to, and have viewings of other properties in the pipeline. I have chosen a high street conveyancing solicitor in Selsdon. What should be my next step? At what point do I apply for the mortgage with Clydesdale?
It is normal to have apprehensions where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to incur costs too early (home loan application is in the region of one thousand pounds, then valuation, Selsdon conveyancing search costs, etc). The first course of action is to check that your conveyancer is on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel. Regarding the next stages this very much depends on the circumstances of your case, attraction to this property and on the state of the market. In a buoyant market some home buyers would apply for the mortgage with Clydesdale and pay for the valuation and only if it was satisfactory would they pay their conveyancing practitioner to proceed with the conveyancing in Selsdon.
The deeds to our house can not be found. The lawyers who conducted the conveyancing in Selsdon 4 years ago have long since closed. What do I do?
As long as you have a registered title the information relating to your ownership will be recorded by the Land Registry with a Title Number. It is easy to conduct a search at the Land Registry, identify your property and order up to date copies of the property title for less than a fiver. If the property is Leasehold then the Land Registry will also normally retain a file copy of the Registered Lease and again, a copy can be obtained for £20 inclusive of VAT.
I need to appoint a conveyancing solicitor for freehold conveyancing in Selsdon. I've chance upon a site which seems to have the perfect solution If it is possible to get all this stuff completed via web that would be ideal. Do I need to be concerned? What are the potential pitfalls?
As usual with these online conveyancers you need to read ALL the small print - did you notice the extra charge for dealing with the mortgage?