The Bartley Green conveyancing firm that I appointed last week on my purchase in Bartley Green have without warning shut down. I only went with them because I needed a firm on the conveyancing panel and my preferred Bartley Green lawyer was not. I issued them a cheque for £250 in advance. What do I do now?
If you have an estate agent involved then inform them straight away so that they can let the sellers know that there may be a slight delay due to the problems encountered. Most sellers would be sympathetic and urge their lawyer to send a new set of papers to your new solicitors. You should appoint new lawyers that are on the conveyancing panel and notify the lender. If you have paid over any money, it will hopefully be held by the SRA as money in an intervened firm's bank accounts is transferred to the SRA. Then, the SRA or the intervention agent looks at the intervened firm's accounts to work out who the money belongs to. To claim your money you will need to contact the SRA. If the SRA cannot return money you are owed from the firm's bank accounts, or if they can only return part of the money, you can apply to the Compensation Fund for a grant. Your new lawyers may be able to assist.
Is it the case that all Bartley Green solicitor firms on the conveyancing panel are regulated by the SRA?
As a firm of solicitors, in order to be on the conveyancing panel they would need to be regulated by the SRA. The majority of lenders do permit licenced conveyancers on their panel in which case such organisation would be regulated by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.
Completion of my remortgage has taken place for my property in Bartley Green. Conveyancing was satisfactory but I would like to complain about the lender. Who do I contact should I wish to lodge a complaint?
All lenders have complaints procedures. Your first port of call should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Care Team at head office. In most cases complaints to a lender are sorted out effectively and efficiently. If you feel the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service who will take matters further.
I recently had an offer accepted on a house in Bartley Green. My financial adviser suggested a . I paid an on account payment of £175. A couple of days later, the contacted me to say that they were not on the 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 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.
How does conveyancing in Bartley Green differ for new build properties?
Most buyers of new build residence in Bartley Green come to us having been asked by the developer to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the property is finished. This is because builders in Bartley Green typically buy the real estate, 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 property lawyers 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 Bartley Green or who has acted in the same development.
I opted to have a survey done on a house in Bartley Green before appointing lawyers. I have been told that there is a flying freehold overhang to the house. My surveyor has said that some mortgage companies tend not grant a loan on such a premises.
It varies from the lender to lender. Bank of Scotland has different instructions for example to Halifax. If you contact us we can check with the appropriate mortgage company. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Bartley Green. Conveyancing may be slightly more expensive based on your lender's requirements.
I am selling my property. My previous lawyers has retired. I would be grateful for any recommendation of a conveyancing firm. I happen to live in Bartley Green if that affects matters.
Do use our search tool to help you find a solicitor for your conveyancing in Bartley Green. We have connected thousands of home buyers and sellers with regulated solicitors to ensure that the legalities of their house move runs with a minimum of fuss.