My wife and I are looking to acquire a property in Bridgwater and have instructed a Bridgwater conveyancing practice. Within the last couple of days our conveyancer has forwarded the sale agreement to be signed with a detailed report with a view to exchanging next week. Barclays have this evening contacted us to inform me that there is now an issue as our Bridgwater lawyer is not on their conveyancing panel. What do we do from here?
When purchasing a property with mortgage finance it is conventional for the purchasers' solicitors to also act for the purchaser's lender. In order to act for a bank or building society a law firm has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the law firm to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the firm has to satisfy and indeed some lenders now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Accreditation Scheme. Your solicitor should contact your lender and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own lawyers to represent them. You don't have to instruct a firm on the bank's conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own Bridgwater solicitors, in which case it will likely add costs, and it will likely delay the transaction as you have another set of people involved.
I am assisting my step-mother sell her flat in Bridgwater. Does the solicitor commission the energy assessment or should I organise this?
Following the abolition of Home Information Packs, EPC’s remained a required part of selling a property. An energy assessment should be commissioned in advance of the property being marketed. This is not something that law firms ordinarily organise. Where you are using a Bridgwater conveyancing practitioner they may be willing to arrange EPC’s given their contacts with reputable Bridgwater energy assessors
We are due to move property in December. Will my conveyancing solicitor update the removal company on the completion day. As an aside, can you recommend a removal company in Bridgwater. Conveyancing solicitor was organised before I stumbled across this website.
On the afternoon of completion you can pick up the house keys from your estate agent however this should only happen after the previous owners solicitors inform the agent that the monies to complete are in and the keys can be passed over. You will need to tell the removal company that you are ready to move in. We do not recommend a specific removal company but can assist you in choosing a residential property solicitor in Bridgwater or a lawyer that specialises in conveyancing in Bridgwater.
I am currently in the process of buying my council flat in Bridgwater. I have a mortgage agreed with RBS. Conveyancing is new to me. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should have one. Any advice?
It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with RBS, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the RBS conveyancing panel.
I need some fast conveyancing in Bridgwater as I have a deadline to exchange contracts in less than 4 weeks. A mortgage is not required. Is it possible to avoid the conveyancing searches to save money and time?
If.Given you are not getting a mortgage you have the choice not to have searches carried out although no lawyer would advise that you don't. Drawing on years of experience of conveyancing in Bridgwater the following are examples of issues that can appear and therefore impact the marketability of the property: Refused Planning Applications, Overdue Charges, Overdue Grants, Railway Schemes,...
Over the last few months I have been searching for a leasehold apartment up to £305k and found one close by in Bridgwater I like with a park and railway links nearby, however it only has 61 years on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Bridgwater in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake buying a lease with such few years left?
If you require a home loan that many years will be a potential deal breaker. Discount the offer by the anticipated lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current owner has owned the property for at least twenty four months you may request that they start the process of the extension and pass it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the existing lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor about this matter.
My father-in-law has suggested that I appoint his lawyers for conveyancing in Bridgwater. Should I choose my own conveyancer?
There are no two ways about it the ideal way to select a conveyancing practitioner is to have recommendations from friends or relatives who have actually used the conveyancer that you are contemplating using.