My fiance and I are planning to purchase a home in Wisbech and are in fact using a Wisbech conveyancing firm. Within the past 48 hours our lawyer has sent a preliminary report and documents to look through with a view to exchanging next week. Nottingham Building Society have this afternoon contacted us to advise us that they have now hit a problem as our Wisbech conveyancer is not on their conveyancing panel. What do we do from here?
Where you are buying a property requiring a mortgage it is usual for the purchasers' solicitors to also represent the purchaser's lender. In order to act for a bank or building society a law firm has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the law firm to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the firm has to satisfy and indeed some lenders now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Accreditation Scheme. Your property lawyer should contact your mortgage company and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own lawyers to represent them. You are not legally obliged to appoint a law firm on the bank's conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own Wisbech solicitors, in which case your legal fees may increase, and it will likely delay the transaction as you have another set of people involved.
It is 10 years ago since I bought my property in Wisbech. Conveyancing lawyers have now been retained on the sale but I am unable to find the title deeds. Will this cause complications?
You need not be too concerned. Firstly the deeds may be retained by the lender or they could be in the possession of the lawyers who handled the purchase. Secondly the likelihood is that the property will be registered at the land registry and you will be able to establish that you own the property by your conveyancing solicitors obtaining current official copies of the land registers. Almost all conveyancing in Wisbech involves registered property but in the rare situation where your property is not registered it is more problematic but is resolvable.
I am helping my step-mother sell her flat in Wisbech. Does the solicitor arrange the energy performance certificate or should I organise this?
Following the abolition of Home Packs, energy performance certificates was kept a required element of selling a house. An energy assessment must be to hand before the property is marketed. This is not as aspect of the sale process that law firms normally arrange. Where you are using a Wisbech conveyancing lawyer they may help arrange EPC’s due to their contacts with reputable local providers
This question may be naive but I am wet behind the ears as a 1st time buyer of a garden flat in Wisbech. Do I pick up the keys to the house on completion from my lawyer? If this is the case, I will appoint a High Street conveyancing solicitor in Wisbech?
On the day of completion you do not need to attend the conveyancers office in Wisbech. Conveyancing lawyers for you will transfer the completion advance to the seller's conveyancers, and once they have received this, you will be able to collect the keys from the selling Agents and start moving into the property. This tends to happen early afternoon.
We have agreed to purchase a house in Wisbech. One unusual aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Solicitors conducting should look into this right? Will my lender Aldermore be concerned?
As your lender is Aldermore your lawyer must follow the formal requirements set out in Part 2 of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Aldermore. The CML Handbook stipulates minimum specifications for solar panel roof-space leases, and lawyers are required to report to Aldermore where a lease does not satisfy these specifications. The specifications relate to the installation of panels on properties nationwide and is not limited to Wisbech.
What does a local search inform me about the property my wife and I purchasing in Wisbech?
Wisbech conveyancing often starts with the submitting local authority searches directly from your local Authority or through a personal search company such as Xpress Legal The local search is essential in every Wisbech conveyancing purchase; as long as you wish to avoid any nasty surprises after you move into your new home. The search should provide data on, amongst other things, details on planning applications relevant to the property (whether granted or refused), building control history, any enforcement action, restrictions on permitted development, nearby road schemes, contaminated land and radon gas; in all a total of thirteen topic areas.
I decided to have a survey carried out on a house in Wisbech prior to appointing solicitors. I have been told that there is a flying freehold element to the property. My surveyor has said that some mortgage companies will not give a loan on this type of house.
It varies from the lender to lender. Bank of Scotland has different instructions from Nationwide. Should you wish to telephone us we can check via the appropriate bank. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Wisbech. Conveyancing may be slightly more expensive based on your lender's requirements.