The Wandsworth conveyancing firm that I appointed last week on my purchase in Wandsworth have suddenly shut down. I only went with them because I needed a firm on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel and my preferred Wandsworth lawyer was not. I paid them 275 plus VAT on account. What are my options?
Assuming that you have an Estate Agent in the equation then let them know straight away so that they can let the sellers know that there may be a slight delay due to reasons beyond your control. Most sellers would be sympathetic and urge their lawyer to send a new set of papers to your new solicitors. You will need to appoint new lawyers that are on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel and notify the lender. If you have paid over any money, it will hopefully be held by the SRA as money in an intervened firm's bank accounts is transferred to the SRA. Then, the SRA or the intervention agent looks at the intervened firm's accounts to work out who the money belongs to. To claim your money you will need to contact the SRA. If the SRA cannot return money you are owed from the firm's bank accounts, or if they can only return part of the money, you can apply to the Compensation Fund for a grant. Your new solicitors may be able to assist.
If you had a top tip for choosing a conveyancing solicitor in Wandsworth what would it be?
Do not opt for the cheapest Wandsworth conveyancing costs illustration. 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.
I'm in the throws of looking at flats in Wandsworth and I am now considering a potential offer. Is it wise to have my property lawyer on ‘stand by’? I am planning to take a home loan with Yorkshire BS.
You should start obtaining conveyancing estimates from solicitors ASAP. Once you decide who you want to use and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and forward their contact information on to the EA. Given that you are seeking a mortgage with Yorkshire BS, make sure you remember to check that your lawyer is on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel.
I recently had an offer agreed on a house in Wandsworth. My mortgage broker suggested a conveyancing practitioner. I paid an upfront payment of £150. A couple of days later, the conveyancing practitioner contacted me embarrassingly acknowledging that they were not on the Santander conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?
You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Santander panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.
I have todaydiscovered that Action Conveyancing have been shut down. They carried out my conveyancing in Wandsworth for a purchase of a leasehold apartment 9 months ago. How can I establish that the property is in my name in the name of the former proprietor?
The quickest way to see if the premises is registered to you, you can carry out a search of the land registry (£3.00). You can either do this yourself or ask a law firm to do this for you. If you are not registered you can seek help from one of a number of Wandsworth conveyancing specialists.
I've recently found out that there is a flying freehold issue on a property I put an offer in two weeks back in what should have been a simple, chain free conveyancing. Wandsworth is the location of the property. What do you suggest?
Flying freeholds in Wandsworth are rare but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even though you don't necessarily need a conveyancing solicitor in Wandsworth you would need to get your solicitor to go through the deeds thoroughly. Your bank may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Wandsworth may decide that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold property.
I need to instruct a conveyancing lawyer in Wandsworth for my remortgage. Is it possible to check a firm’s record with the legal regulator?
Anyone can review presented Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) determinations resulting from investigations commenced on or after 1 January 2008. Visit Check a solicitor's record. To find details about the period before 1 January 2008, or to check a solicitors record, ring 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and 09.30 - 18.00 Tuesday. International callers, call +44 (0)121 329 6800. The SRA could monitor call for training purposes.