It is a dozen years since I bought my property in Southam. Conveyancing lawyers have recently been retained on the sale but I can't find the title deeds. Is this a major issue?
You need not be too concerned. Firstly there is a chance that the deeds will be kept by the lender or they could be in the possession of the conveyancers who oversaw your purchase. Secondly in most cases the land will be registered at the land registry and you will be able to establish that you own the property by your conveyancing lawyers procuring up to date copy of the land registers. Most conveyancing in Southam involves registered property but in the unlikely event that your property is not registered it is more problematic but is resolvable.
I have an AIP. The bank mentioned the home loan came with free conveyancing. Does this mean I have to use their panel solicitor as I would prefer to appoint a Southam based conveyancing firm?
Do check but the the likelihood is that appoint one of their panel solicitors should you want the "fee-free" offer. Call the mortgage company and ask if they allow a monetary alternative. It is not unheard for a lender to give a £250 cashback as a further option in which case you could put that amount towards your preferred conveyancing solicitor near Southam.
Should our lawyer be raising questions concerning flooding during the conveyancing in Southam.
Flooding is a growing risk for conveyancers dealing with homes in Southam. Some people will acquire a property in Southam, fully aware that at some time, it may suffer from flooding. However, leaving to one side the physical destruction, if a house is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to obtain a mortgage, adequate insurance cover, or sell the property. There are steps that can be taken during the course of a house purchase to forewarn the buyer.
Solicitors are not best placed to offer advice on flood risk, but there are a number of checks that may be undertaken by the buyer or by their conveyancers which should figure out the risks in Southam. The standard information sent to a buyer’s solicitor (where the solicitors are adopting what is known as the Conveyancing Protocol) incorporates a usual inquiry of the owner to discover if the premises has suffered from flooding. If flooding has previously occurred and is not notified by the seller, then a purchaser could bring a legal claim for losses as a result of such an inaccurate answer. The purchaser’s lawyers should also carry out an enviro search. This will disclose if there is any known flood risk. If so, more detailed inquiries should be carried out.
Should I be concerned about brokers that I am dealing with are suggesting a web based conveyancing firm rather than a local Southam conveyancing company?
As is the case with many service providers, often recommendations from connections can be worth their weight in gold. But there are many players in a conveyancing deal; estate agents, mortgage brokers and banks might all put forward lawyers to select. On occasion the solicitors might be known to one of the organisations as one of the best in their field, but sometimes there might be a commercial relationship behind the endorsement. You have the right to appoint your own conveyancer. However, bear in mind that most mortgage providers specify a panel list of conveyancers you are obliged to use for the mortgage aspect of your home move.
Are all Southam property lawyers on every lender conveyancing panel?
The Lexsure search tool on this page may be of use or you can drop into your high street lender branch in Southam. the probability is that they can recommend conveyancing solicitors in Southam