Is the fact that my conveyancer in Kings Heath is not on my lender's conveyancing panel that there is a problem with the quality of the firm’s conveyancing?
That would more than likely be a wrong assumption to make. There are plenty of plausible explanations. Just recently a report by the solicitors regulator indicated 76% of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The most common reasons for removal are: (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. Should you be concerned you should simply call the Kings Heath conveyancing practice and enquire why they are no longer on the approved list for your mortgage company.
It is a dozen years since I purchased my home in Kings Heath. Conveyancing solicitors have recently been appointed on the sale but I can't find the title documents. Will this jeopardise the sale?
Don’t worry too much. Firstly the deeds may be with your mortgage company or they may be in the possession of the solicitor who handled the purchase. Secondly the likelihood is that the property will be recorded at the land registry and you will be able to prove you are the registered owner by your conveyancing solicitors acquiring current official copies of the land registers. Almost all conveyancing in Kings Heath involves registered property but in the rare situation where your property is not registered it is more tricky but is not insurmountable.
Various online forums that I have frequented warn that are the primary cause of obstruction in Kings Heath conveyancing transactions. Is that correct?
The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) published conclusions of research by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not figure amongst the top 10 causes of delays during the legal transfer of property. Local searches are unlikely to feature in any delay in conveyancing in Kings Heath.
I have recentlybeen informed that Action Conveyancing have been shut down. They carried out my conveyancing in Kings Heath for a purchase of a leasehold apartment 12 months ago. How can I establish that the property is not still registered in the name of the previous owner?
The easiest method to see if the property is registered to you, you can carry out a search of the land registry (£3.00). You can either do this yourself or ask a law firm to do this for you. If you are not registered you can seek help from one of a number of Kings Heath conveyancing specialists.
Should I choose a Kings Heath conveyancing solicitor based in the vicinity that I am purchasing? An old friend can execute the conveyancing however they are based 300miles away.
The primary upside of using a high street Kings Heath conveyancing practice is that you can visit the firm to execute documents, present your ID and pester them where appropriate. They will also have local insight which is a bonus. That being said nothing is more important than finding someone that will pull out all the stops for you. If other friends have used your friend and they were happy that should outweigh using an unknown Kings Heath conveyancing solicitor just because they are Kings Heath based.