My partner and I are planning to buy a home in Kings Heath and have appointed a Kings Heath conveyancing practice. Within the past 48 hours our property lawyer has forwarded the sale agreement to be signed with a detailed report with the expectation that exchange is imminent. Godiva Mortgages Ltd have this evening contacted us to advise us that they have now hit a problem as our Kings Heath lawyer is not on their conveyancing panel. What do we do from here?

When purchasing a property with mortgage finance it is normal for the purchasers' lawyers to also represent 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 Quality Scheme. Your property lawyer should contact your bank and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own solicitors to act. You don't have to instruct a firm on the lender’s conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own Kings Heath solicitors, in which case it will likely add costs, and it may delay matters as you are adding another lawyer into the mix.

I am under pressure from the owner of a property in Kings Heath to exchange within four weeks. What can I do to speed up matters?

Where the seller is applying time constraints for your conveyancing it is highly recommended that your lawyer is familiar with the location as they will make use of local connections and intelligence. It is even conceivable that they could have transacted otherproperties in the same street. Therefore consider using a Kings Heath conveyancing solicitor. Second, be sure that the conveyancing firm is on the member panel. It is claimed that nearly one in five of Kings Heath conveyancing transactions are held up or jeopardised after finding out that a buyer’s solicitor was not on their banks list of approved solicitors. This can often result in the transaction being delayed by almost 21 days. It is estimated that this issue affects in the region of one hundred thousand home sales every year. Almost all Kings Heath conveyancing firms can not represent certain mortgage companies so do check as early as possible.

I used Arc property Solicitors several years past for my conveyancing in Kings Heath. I now require my papers however cannot find the solicitor. What do I do?

Do contact the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to assist in tracing your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Kings Heath of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously retained, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.

What makes your site different to other internet conveyancing brokers when it comes to conveyancing in Kings Heath?

At this site get an accurate costs illustration from a Solicitor or Licensed Conveyancer that understands the issues for your conveyancing in Kings Heath. Unlike many estate agents and many comparison sites we do not operate referral arrangements with solicitors. Some agents and online brokers 'recommend' solicitors paying the highest kickback, as opposed to the best value conveyancing in Kings Heath

I've found a house that seems to be perfect, at a reasonable price which is making it all the more appealing. I have since been informed that the title is leasehold rather than freehold. I would have thought that there are particular concerns purchasing a leasehold house in Kings Heath. Conveyancing solicitors have not yet been appointed. Will my lawyers set out the risks of buying a leasehold house in Kings Heath ?

The majority of houses in Kings Heath are freehold rather than leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local conveyancer used to dealing with such properties who can help the conveyancing process. We note that you are buying in Kings Heath so you should seriously consider shopping around for a Kings Heath conveyancing solicitor and be sure that they have experience in transacting on leasehold houses. First you will need to check the unexpired lease term. As a leaseholder you will not be entirely free to do whatever you want with the house. The lease will likely included provisions such as obtaining the landlord’spermission to conduct changes to the property. You may also be required to pay a maintenance charge towards the maintenance of the estate where the property is part of an estate. Your solicitor should appraise you on the various issues.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Kings Heath - Examples of Questions you should consider Prior to Purchasing

Make sure you investigate if there is anything that is prohibited in the lease. For instance some leases prohibit pets being allowed in in a block in Kings Heath. If you like the flatin Kings Heath but your dog is not allowed to make the move with you then you will be presented with a hard decision. What is the yearly service fee and ground rent? It is important to be aware whether window replacement or some other major work is pending that will be shared amongst the tenants and will dramatically increase the the service fees or result in a one time invoice.