As someone not used to conveyancing in Harpenden what’s the number one tip you can give me for the legal transfer of property in Harpenden
You may not hear this from too many lawyers but conveyancing in Harpenden and elsewhere in England and Wales is an adversarial experience. Put another way, when it comes to conveyancing there is an abundance of opportunity for conflict between you and other parties involved in the legal transfer of property. For example, the seller, selling agent and sometimes your bank. Appointing a lawyer for your conveyancing in Harpenden an important selection as your conveyancer is your adviser, and is the ONLY party in the process whose role it is to look after your best interests and to keep you safe.
Sometimes a potential adversary will try and sway you that you should follow their advice. For instance, the property agent may claim to be assisting by claiming that your solicitor is slow. Or your mortgage broker may tell you to do take action that is contrary to your solicitors guidance. You should always trust your lawyer above all other parties in the home moving process.
My husband and I are hoping to buy a newbuild apartment in Harpenden with a mortgage from Leeds Building Society.We have a Harpenden conveyancing solicitor but Leeds Building Society says he's not listed on their approved list of member firms. It seems we are left with no choice but to instruct a Leeds Building Society panel solicitor or keep our high street solicitor and fork out for a Leeds Building Society panel lawyer to represent them. This seems very unfair; Can we not simply insist that Leeds Building Society use our lawyer?
No, not really. The home loan issued to you is subject to its various provisions, one of which will be that conveyancers will be on the Leeds Building Society solicitor panel. in the past, most mortgage companies had large numbers of solicitors on their panels: a borrower could find one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. A further alternative is for your solicitors to apply to be on the conveyancing panel for Leeds Building Society
How does conveyancing in Harpenden differ for newly converted properties?
Most buyers of new build or newly converted property in Harpenden come to us having been asked by the housebuilder to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the house is finished. This is because developers in Harpenden typically purchase the site, 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 used to new build conveyancing in Harpenden or who has acted in the same development.
In my capacity as executor for the will of my grandfather I am selling a property in Swansea but reside in Harpenden. My conveyancer (based 200 kilometers from merequires that I sign a statutory declaration prior to the transaction finalising. Could you suggest a conveyancing practitioner in Harpenden who can witness this legal document for me?
Technically speaking you are not likely to be required to have the documents witnessed by a conveyancing solicitor. Normally any notary public or solicitor will suffice regardless of whether they are located in Harpenden
I bought a flat in Harpenden last 12/6/2024 and to date it is still not registered with the Land Registry. It is part of a development site and my lawyer told me that it can take 12 months to complete the registration formalities. I have contacted HM Land Registry directly and they have informed me the original application was cancelled due to failure to reply to requisitions. Do I need to be concerned?
get in touch with your lawyer - Where you are unsatisfied with the responses, find out about their internal complaints protocol and escalate your concerns to a Partner. Registrations for Harpenden conveyancing are not known to be significantly delayed.