When it comes to mortgage companies such as Clydesdale, do Woodside property lawyers face an annual charge to be on the conveyancing panel?
We are not aware of any bank fees to be on their panel, although some do levy an administration charge to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel application.
The formalities of my purchase has taken place for my property in Woodside. Conveyancing was of an acceptable standard but I would like to complain about the lender. How do I make a complaint?
Almost all lenders have complaints procedures. Your first point of contact should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Care Department at head office. Ordinarily complaints to a lender are resolved effectively and efficiently. However if you are not satisfied that the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service, South Quay Plaza, 183 Marsh Wall, London E14 9SR with full details of your complaint.
I recently had an offer accepted on an apartment in Woodside. My financial adviser pressured me to appoint their property lawyer. I paid an on account payment of £200. Shortly after, the lawyer contacted me embarrassingly acknowledging that they were not on the Coventry BS 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 Coventry BS 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 a renovated Edwardian house in Woodside. Conveyancing practitioner represented me and The Royal Bank of Scotland. I did a free Land Registry search last week and I saw two entries: one for freehold, the second leasehold under the matching property. I'd like to know for sure, how can I find out??
You need to read the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register as there may be 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 Woodside and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they sell they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with buyers. You can also question the situation with your conveyancing lawyer who completed the work.
How does conveyancing in Woodside differ for newly converted properties?
Most buyers of new build residence in Woodside contact us having been asked by the developer to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the house is completed. This is because new home sellers in Woodside tend to acquire the land, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct conveyancers as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are accustomed to new build conveyancing in Woodside or who has acted in the same development.
I decided to have a survey carried out on a property in Woodside ahead of appointing lawyers. I have been told that there is a flying freehold overhang to the property. My surveyor has said that some lenders will not grant a loan on this type of property.
It depends who your proposed lender is. Lloyds has different requirements for example to Birmingham Midshires. Should you wish to telephone us we can look into this further via the relevant mortgage company. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Woodside. Conveyancing will be smoother if you use a solicitor in Woodside especially if they regularly deal with such properties in Woodside.
I have been sourcing a conveyancing solicitor in Woodside for my purchase. Is there any facility to see a firm’s complaints history with the profession’s regulator?
One can see documented Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) decisions stemming from inquisitions started on or after 1 January 2008. Visit Check a solicitor's record. To find details Pre 2008, or to check a solicitors history, ring 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 any week day save for Tuesday when lines open at 9.30am. For non-uk callers, use +44 (0)121 329 6800. The regulator could recorded call for training requirements.