I require conveyancing for a flat in a relatively new development (five years old) in Brandon. 95% of the appartments have already been occupied. Is it strictly necessary to order neighbourhood searches as part of conveyancing in Brandon?
You are taking a significant risk in not carrying out Brandon conveyancing searches. Without searches you have no clarity over flooding, environmental etc which may mean you walk away due to potential problems down the line. If you are buying without a mortgage there is no legal necessity to have them, but we would absolutely advise in no uncertain terms that your solicitor conducts them. Where accelerating the process and expenses are primary concerns you should consider with your solicitor about the options such as indemnity insurance available to you
We see that you have a search directory listing firms on the Barclays conveyancing panel. Do companies pay you a commission if I instruct them for our conveyancing in Brandon?
We are a listing service only for law firms wishing to communicate if they are on the Barclays conveyancing panel or other lender panels. We do not charge referral fees to any conveyancer that you subsequently appoint for your conveyancing in Brandon.
I have today made my last payment due on my mortgage with Lloyds. I assume I don't need a Brandon property lawyer on the Lloyds panel to remove the mortgage at the Land Registry. Please confirm.
If you have finished paying off your Lloyds 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 Lloyds mortgage from the register. Lloyds, 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 Lloyds has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
- Lloyds has instructed the Land Registry to do so
Completion of my purchase has taken place for my property in Brandon. Conveyancing was satisfactory but I would like to complain about the lender. How do I make a complaint?
All banks and building societies have complaints procedures. Your first port of call should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Care Department at head office. Ordinarily complaints to a lender are sorted out very quickly. If you feel 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.
Co-operative have agreed my home loan in principle, my bid on a flat in Brandon has been accepted, what are the next steps?
The property agent will need to be advised as to your property lawyer's details (make sure the solicitors are on the lender’s panel). Telephone Co-operative or the broker and complete any appropriate paperwork. Co-operative will instruct a valuer who will get in touch with the selling agent or vendor to schedule a time for the valuation to take place. Once conducted (assuming no problems) it takes about a fortnight for the mortgage offer to be issued. Co-operative will send the offer to you and your conveyancing practitioners. The transaction will then take it’s course according the nature and complexity of the conveyancing in Brandon.
I am buying my first flat in Brandon with a mortgage from Bank of Scotland. The developers refused to reduce the price so I negotiated £7000 of additionals instead. The sale representative suggested that I not inform my conveyancer about this deal as it may put at risk my loan with the bank. Do I keep my lawyer in the dark?.
All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the developer of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.
Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.
Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.
My conveyancers in Brandon have advised me that they can not locate my conveyancing file. At the time of my purchase I took out a mortgage with the lender. Is it case that being on the lender conveyancing panel they need to have retained the file for a prescribed period?
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 bank Conveyancing Panel Terms. It might be worth you contacting the bank directly.