Some advice if I may. My Buckingham solicitor is advising me that he is legally obliged toorder Buckingham conveyancing searches becausethe firm are on the Nat Westconveyancing panel. Is my solicitor right?
Unfortunately both you and your lawyer have little choice here. As you are taking a home loan with a bank your solicitor has to comply with their conditions as set out in their version of the CML Conveyancing Handbook. Your conveyancing practitioner would have previously signed the Terms and Conditions of your bank’s conveyancing panel appointment which obliges them to follow the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook provisions . Even if you were a cash buyer you would be ill advised not to carry out Buckingham conveyancing searches.
I have a 4 bedroom Edwardian property in Buckingham. Conveyancing practitioner represented me and Barclays Direct. I did a free Land Registry search last week and there are two entries: one for freehold, another for leasehold with the matching address. If a house is not a freehold shouldn't I have been informed?
You should read the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register as there may be mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Buckingham and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they remortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with mortgage companies. You can also enquire as to the situation with your conveyancing solicitor who conducted the work.
Due to the advice of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a house in Buckingham before retaining conveyancers. I have been advised that there is a flying freehold element to the property. The surveyor has said that some mortgage companies will refuse to grant a loan on a flying freehold home.
It depends who your proposed lender is. HSBC has different instructions for example to Nationwide. Should you wish to call us we can check via the relevant lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Buckingham. Conveyancing will be smoother if you use a solicitor in Buckingham especially if they are accustomed to such properties in Buckingham.
As co-executor for the estate of my grandfather I am disposing of a residence in Neath but live in Buckingham. My solicitor (based 260 kilometers from meneeds me to sign a stat dec ahead of the transaction finalising. Could you suggest a conveyancing practitioner in Buckingham to attest this legal document for me?
Technically speaking you should not need to have the documents witnessed by a conveyancing solicitor. Normally or notary public or solicitor will be fine regardless of whether they are located in Buckingham
Your search tool is useful but there are many lawyers listed near Buckingham being on the mortgage company conveyancing panel. Can you recommend a specific firm on the conveyancing panel for our mortgage company?
We are not in the business of recommending one firm above another as the right Buckingham conveyancing solicitor for you depends on where your priorities lie. For example you may require a local firm with Buckingham knowledge or you might be looking for the low cost conveyancing. Before you appoint your lawyer we advise you to speak to two or three of the the firms listed to gain comfort as to which one is right for you..