Is the fact that my solicitor in Haydock is not listed on my mortgage company's conveyancing panel that there is a problem with the standard of the firm’s work?
It would not be wise to jump to that conclusion. There are plenty of plausible explanations. A recent report by the solicitors regulator indicated that over three quarters of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The top 5 reasons are as follows: (1) low volume of transactions (2) the solicitor is a sole practitioner (3) as part of the HSBC panel reduction (4) regulatory contact by SRA (5) accidental removal. If you are concerned you should contact the Haydock conveyancing firm and ask them why they are no longer on the approved list for your bank.
Me and my partner are purchasing a flat in Haydock. It might be a silly question but how we can trust a lawyer? On the day of competition we have to send funds into their account. What protection do we have from them run away with our deposit?
Be assured that all money in a Solicitors client account is 100% safe, and even if your Solicitor ran off with it, the Law Society would reimburse you fully.
I had a mortgage agreed in principle with Clydesdale. Haydock conveyancing practitioners are selected. How long does it take for Clydesdale to forward the offer to the lawyer?
Some lenders take longer than others. Have Clydesdale completed the survey? Have you advised Clydesdale as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel? Sometimes it can take as long as six weeks for a mortgage offer to be issued.
We were going to get a AIP from Virgin Money this week so we can work out what to offer on a property we like as otherwise we only have online calculators to go by (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do Virgin Money recommend any Haydock solicitors on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel, or is it better to find our own lawyer?
You will need to appoint Haydock solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and Virgin Money through the process.
A colleague advised me that if I am purchasing in Haydock I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?
This is a search is occasionally included in the estimate for your Haydock conveyancing searches. It is not a small report of about 40 pages, listing and detailing significant information about Haydock around the property and the people living there. It includes an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the Haydock Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the type of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average Property Price, Crime details, Local Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful information regarding Haydock.
I was recommended by a few property agents in Haydock to select a property lawyer using your seach tool. What’s the financial incentive for Estate Agents to promote your lawyers ahead of alternative conveyancing organisations?
We don’t make any financial incentive for directing people our way. We found it would be just too difficult to pay a commission because a client could think, ‘Why is the agent getting a kickback? Why am I not receiving any benefit too?’ So we decided to step away from that.
I have been sourcing a conveyancing lawyer in Haydock for my purchase. Can I see a firm’s record with the legal regulator?
Anyone may find documented Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) decisions arising from inquisitions from 2008 onwards. Go to Check a solicitor's record. To find records about the period before 1 January 2008, or to check a solicitors history, telephone 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and 09.30 - 18.00 Tuesday. For callers outside the UK, use +44 (0)121 329 6800. The SRA could recorded telephone calls for training reasons.