We are a couple about to sign contracts for a freehold house in Sutton Coldfield. We have hit a snag. Our loan offer with The Mortgage Works expires on 16/9/2025 but the vendors are putting forward a completion date of 18/9/2025. Is it possible to extend the mortgage offer?

The best person to address this issue is your conveyancer who is in a position to assess whether they should be discussing with the mortgage company, owner’s representatives, selling agents or conceivably all parties given the circumstances your transaction to date.

What is the first thing I need to know about purchase conveyancing in Sutton Coldfield?

Not many law firms shout this from the rooftops but conveyancing in Sutton Coldfield or throughout Birmingham is an adversarial process. Put another way, when it comes to conveyancing there is lots of room for friction between you and others involved in the ownership transfer. E.g., the seller, estate agent and even potentially the bank. Appointing a lawyer for your conveyancing in Sutton Coldfield is a critical decision as your conveyancer is your adviser, and is the ONLY party in the transaction whose role it is to look after your legal interests and to protect you.

On occasion a potential adversary will attempt to convince you that you should follow their advice. For instance, the selling agent may claim to be assisting by claiming that your solicitor is dragging his heels. Or your financial adviser may advise you to do something that is contrary to your solicitors guidance. You should always trust your lawyer above all other parties in the home moving process.

Should our solicitor be asking questions about flooding during the conveyancing in Sutton Coldfield.

Flooding is a growing risk for conveyancers specialising in conveyancing in Sutton Coldfield. There are those who buy a property in Sutton Coldfield, fully aware that at some time, it may suffer from flooding. However, aside from the physical damage, if a property is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to obtain a mortgage, suitable building insurance, or sell the property. There are steps that can be taken as part of the conveyancing process to forewarn the purchaser.

Lawyers are not qualified to impart advice on flood risk, however there are a number of checks that can be undertaken by the purchaser or by their lawyers which can give them a better understanding of the risks in Sutton Coldfield. The conventional set of information supplied to a purchaser’s solicitor (where the Conveyancing Protocol is adopted) contains a usual question of the seller to determine if the property has suffered from flooding. In the event that flooding has previously occurred and is not notified by the seller, then a purchaser may commence a compensation claim stemming from an misleading reply. A purchaser’s conveyancers may also commission an environmental report. This should indicate whether there is any known flood risk. If so, further investigations should be initiated.

How difficult is it to switch conveyancer as I need to choose a firm on the Barclays Direct conveyancing panel. I instructed a high street conveyancing solicitor in Sutton Coldfield round the corner but he is not accepted by Barclays Direct

We will our best to assist in finding you a conveyancing solicitor in Sutton Coldfield on the Barclays Direct panel. Please note that the conveyancers that we work with do not pay us a referral fee if you instruct them and are authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority who oversee all conveyancing solicitors in Sutton Coldfield. In making use of search facility on this website, you can compare and instruct different solicitors and conveyancers both nationally and in Sutton Coldfield.

I bought a house in Sutton Coldfield last 19/6/2024 and to date it is still not registered with HMLR. It was part of a new estate and my conveyancer told me that it can take one year to complete the registration formalities. I have called HMLR directly and they have informed me the original application was cancelled due to questions not being addressed in time. Should I be concerned?

get in touch with your conveyancer - if you are not getting sensible responses, find out about their internal complaints process and escalate your concerns to a Partner. Registrations for Sutton Coldfield conveyancing are not known to be particularly slow.