I can't travel far from Wembley Park. Is there a reason why all Wembley Park solicitors are not on all mortgage company panels?

Lenders normally impose restrictions on either the nature or volume of conveyancing solicitors on their panel. A common example of such restriction(s) being that a organisation is required to have two or more partners. As well as restricting the type of firm, some lenders decided to limit the size of their panel they permit to act for them. It is worth noting that lenders have no liability for the standard of advice given by any Wembley Park lawyer on their panel. Increases in mortgage fraud was the key driver in the reduction of conveyancing panels from 2008 even though there are opposing opinions about the extent of solicitor involvement in some of that fraud. Data from HMLR reveal that thousands of law firms only carry out less than three conveyances a year. Those supporting conveyancing panel culls question why conveyancing firms should have any entitlement to be listed on a conveyancing panel when it is apparent that property law is not their primary expertise?

I just acquired a house at auction in Wembley Park. Conveyancing is needed. What are my next steps?

Now that you are legally bound yourself to purchase you will need to choose a conveyancing practitioner as a matter of priority as you will have a tight a drop dead date to complete the conveyancing. An auction property will ordinarily have an associated auction pack. This will likely include most,if not all of the documents that your solicitor requires. Where you are dealing with leasehold premises the auction pack may contain a copy of the lease, management information and a sellers leasehold information form and associated conveyancing paperwork specific to leasehold premises. You should give this to the solicitor working for you ASAP. Do make sure that you have funds in place to complete on the date specified in the contract.

We had selected conveyancers with offices in Wembley Park on the Nationwide solicitor approved list. They have just billed me a further amount for the legal aspects of the Nationwide mortgage. Is this a supplemental conveyancing fee set by Nationwide?

As unfair as it may seem, as long as it’s in their Terms of Engagement or estimate then yes your solicitor may levy a fee for this. The charge is not dictated by Nationwide but by your Wembley Park property lawyer. Some firms on the Nationwide panel will quote ’dealing with mortgage’ fee and others do not.

The mortgage over my property is with Nottingham for my property in Wembley Park. Conveyancing was finalised some time ago. If I am intending to rent out the flat and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a BTL mortgage or inform Nottingham?

You must advise Nottingham before renting your property as this is likely to be a breach of Nottingham’s mortgage conditions. In many cases banks or building societies will allow you to rent out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact Nottingham directly. It should not be necessary to do this via a Nottingham conveyancing panel solicitor.

Should our lawyer be asking questions concerning flooding during the conveyancing in Wembley Park.

Flooding is a growing risk for solicitors dealing with homes in Wembley Park. There are those who buy a house in Wembley Park, fully expectant 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 get a mortgage, adequate building insurance, or dispose of the premises. There are steps that can be taken as part of the conveyancing process to forewarn the purchaser.

Conveyancers are not qualified to give advice on flood risk, but there are a numerous checks that can be undertaken by the purchaser or on a buyer’s behalf which should figure out the risks in Wembley Park. The conventional set of property information forms supplied to a purchaser’s lawyer (where the solicitors are adopting what is known as the Conveyancing Protocol) incorporates a usual question of the vendor to discover if the premises has suffered from flooding. In the event that flooding has previously occurred and is not notified by the seller, then a buyer may issue a claim for damages as a result of such an incorrect reply. The purchaser’s solicitors should also order an environmental report. This should reveal whether there is any known flood risk. If so, further inquiries should be initiated.

I have a renovated Edwardian property in Wembley Park. Conveyancing practitioner represented me and Coventry Building Society. I did a free Land Registry search last week and there are two entries: the first freehold, the second leasehold with the exact same address. If a house is not a freehold shouldn't I have been informed?

You should read the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Wembley Park and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they mortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with purchasers. You can also enquire as to the situation with the conveyancing practitioner who conducted the purchase.

I am using a search engine for the term on line conveyancing in Wembley Park it reveals many solicitorsin the vicinity. With so much choice what is the best way to find the right solicitor for purchase transaction?

The best way of choosing the right conveyancer is via trusted testimonial, so enquire of colleagues and family who have bought a property in Wembley Park or the reputable estate agent or mortgage broker. Costs for conveyancing in Wembley Park vary, so it's a good idea to secure a minimum of four fee estimates from different solicitors. Dont forget to clarify what costs in the quote includes.