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approved by Platform HL

Ready to buy a new home? Failing to check that a lawyer is on the Platform HL list of approved solicitors can put your transaction at risk of delay or failure.

Find an Approved Solicitor on the Platform Home Loans Ltd Conveyancing Panel

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I have been advised by my broker that I have to pay Platform Home Loans fees if I use my own solicitor. How good are the Platform Home Loans conveyancing panel solicitors? I dont care which law firm I use provided that they are good and reasonably priced. Would you recommend a specific law firm on the Platform Home Loans panel?
Platform Home Loans’s conveyancing panel is substantial so it would be advisable to check with the firms you are getting quotes from that they are on the panel. You can search by postcode on the search tool on this site to find solicitors that Platform Home Loans will allow to act for them.
I do hope you can help me. My conveyancer is assuring me that he has to order a Local Authority search as the firm are on the Platform Home Loans approved lawyer panel. Is this really necessary?
You have limited options available to you. As you are taking a mortgage with Platform Home Loans 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 Platform Home Loans’s conveyancing panel appointment which obliges them to follow the CML Handbook requirements last updated Platform Home Loans. even if you were a cash buyer you would be ill advised not to carry out a local authority search.
I am Googling for competitive conveyancing fees. Can I be confident that all the law firms that are listed on your directory are on the Platform Home Loans conveyancing panel?
The solicitor and licensed conveyancing practices listed on our site have advised us that they are on the Platform Home Loans panel and agreed to advise us to take down their listing in the event of removal off of the Platform Home Loans panel. To date we have not been informed by either a lender or a member of the public that the data about a specific firm being on the Platform Home Loans conveyancing panel is incorrect.
Please explain the implications if my solicitor is suspended from the Platform Home Loans Solicitor panel prior to completion?
First, this is very unlikely to happen. In most cases even where a law firm is removed off of a panel the lender would allow the completion to go ahead as the lender would appreciate the difficulties that they would place you in if you have ti instruct a new solicitor days before completion. In a worst case scenario where the lender insists that you instruct a new firm then it is possible for a very good lawyer to expedite the conveyancing albeit that you may pay a significant premium for this. The analogous situation is where a buyer instructs a lawyer, exchanges contracts and the law firm is shut down by the regulator such as the SRA. Again, in this situation you can find lawyers who can troubleshoot their way to bring the conveyancing to a satisfactory conclusion - albeit for a fee.
My brother and I have had an offer accepted on a apartment I spoke to a solicitor previously used by my dad and he suggested using a law firm approved by Platform Home Loans. The estate agent recommended two local firms so I asked Platform Home Loans if the 2 suggested solicitors are approved, which they are not. Platform Home Loans pointed out that either practice can fill out the appropriate forms to become approved. Do I (1) save myself the aggravation and use one of Platform Home Loans 's conveyancing panel solicitors (2) Use the local solicitor and accept there may be delays etc as they go through the approval process.
Enquire of Platform Home Loans to suggest a law firm in your location. Most banks have lawyers on their panel throughout the UK. You can also use our search tool at the top of this page to search for a lawyer on the Platform Home Loans conveyancing panel based on location. If you particularly like the sound of one of the local lawyers that you have spoken to ask them if they would go onto Platform Home Loans conveyancing panel as it may only take about 2-3 weeks. As long as they meet Platform Home Loans’s requirements it can be a very simple job for the solicitor. Other stuff will be going on in parallel (as you are at an early stage) so it may not delay matters.
I have today made my last payment due on mortgage with Platform Home Loans. I assume I don't need a solicitor on the Platform Home Loans panel to remove the mortgage at the Land Registry. Am I right?
If you have finished paying off your Platform Home Loans mortgage they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the Platform Home Loans mortgage from the register. Platform Home Loans,and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage: but are not moving to another property where the Platform Home Loans has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and the Platform Home Loans has instructed the Land Registry to do so The Land Registry will send you a letter confirming that your Platform Home Loans mortgage has been paid off.
After shopping around on the internet I have found a solicitor having checked that they are on the Platform Home Loans conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property? Or Having digested plenty of house buying,I note that they all recommend that you should get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my solicitor - who is on the Platform Home Loans conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. Is that normal?
Platform Home Loans will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Platform Home Loans will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. You may wish to consider appointing your own surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller. or Your lawyer will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Platform Home Loans you could contact your them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors.