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approved by HodgeLife
Ready to buy a new home? Failing to check that a lawyer is on the HodgeLife list of approved solicitors can put your transaction at risk of delay or failure.
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How does my firm apply to be on the Hodge Life Conveyancing Panel? How can my firm be reinstated onto the Hodge Life Conveyancing Panel?Find an Approved Solicitor on the Hodge Life Conveyancing Panel
FAQs : The Hodge Life Solicitor Panel
It has come to my attention via my mortgage adviser that my the law firm I have appointed is not on the Hodge Life Solicitor panel. What can I do to be certain that this is indeed the case?
The best course of action for you to take is to contact your conveyancer. It is reasonable to expect your lawyer to advise you of the situation. If they are not on the panel they could put your in touch with solicitors on the the approved Hodge Life solicitor panel.
can you help? My conveyancer is assuring me that she is duty-bound to conduct a Local Authority search because the firm are on the Hodge Life approved lawyer panel. Do I not have a choice here?
You have limited options available to you. Given that you are taking out a loan with Hodge Life your lawyer has to comply with their conditions as set out in their version of the CML Conveyancing Handbook. Your lawyer would have previously signed the Terms and Conditions of Hodge Life’s conveyancing panel appointment which obliges them to follow the CML Handbook requirements last updated Hodge Life. even if you were a cash buyer you would be ill advised not to carry out a local authority search.
What tools are available to find a local solicitor on the Hodge Life conveyancing panel? I have a car and am prepared to travel up to 25 kilometers to meet the solicitor.
Feel free to make use of the find a conveyancing panel search on this website. Please choose the lender and your location and you will see a number of lawyer located nearest you. Alternatively you can type in the name of your proposed law firm and see if they are listed as being on the Hodge Life solicitor panel.
My solicitors in Birmingham have advised me that they can not locate my conveyancing file. To assist with my purchase I took out a mortgage with Hodge Life. Is it case that being on the Hodge Life conveyancing panel they need to have retained the file for a number of years?
It very much depends from lender to lender but many of the Terms and Conditions of Conveyancing Panel Appointment require the file to be held for a period of 6 years. That being said we have not seen a copy of the Hodge Life Conveyancing Panel Terms. It might be worth you contacting Hodge Life directly.
We are getting a further advance on our mortgage from Hodge Life as we wish to carry out alterations or improvements our home. Do we need to appoint a solicitor on the Hodge Life conveyancing panel to deal with the legals?
Hodge Life do not ordinarily appoint firms on their conveyancing panel to deal with such a matter. If they did require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Hodge Life panel
I can not work out if my mortgage offer obliges me to make sure the lease term for the flat is extended prior to the completion date . I have telephoned Hodge Life on numerous occasions and was told they are content with the situation and they would lend. My solicitor - who is on the Hodge Life conveyancing panel- telephoned and was told not they would not lend in accordance with their CML Handbook minimum lease term requirements. Who do I believe?
Your lawyer has to follow the CML Handbook Part 2 requirements for Hodge Life. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that Hodge Life will go ahead your lawyer has no choice but to refrain from exchanging contract and committing you to the purchase. We would suggest that you ask Hodge Life to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the remaining number of years left on the lease.
At last I have had an offer on an apartment accepted, the seller does however have a dependent purchase. The vendors have offered on somewhere, but not been accepted yet, and have viewings of other properties in the pipeline. My conveyancing solicitor has been instructed. What do I do now? At what point should I appy for the mortgage with Hodge Life?
It is usual to have concerns where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to be too out of pocket too early (mortgage application is approx £1k, then survey/valuation, conveyancing search costs, etc). First you should check that your solicitor is on the Hodge Life conveyancing panel. As to the next stages this very much depends on the circumstances of your case, desire for this property and on the state of the market. In a hot mortgage some buyers would pally for the mortgage with Hodge Life and pay for the valuation and only if it comes back ok would they pay their solicitor to press on with searches.
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