Me and my fiance are purchasing a 3 bedroom apartment in Navenby with a mortgage. We wish to retain our Navenby solicitor, however the lender advise she’s not on their "panel". It seems we have no choice but to appoint one of the bank panel firms or retain our Navenby property lawyer as well as pay for one of their panel ones to act for them. We regard this is unjust; can we not insist that the mortgage company use our Navenby lawyer ?
Unfortunately,no. The mortgage offered to you is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the bank’s conveyancing panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could choose 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 Navenby conveyancing lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.
My son is in the process of securing a house that has just been built in Navenby with a mortgage from Santander. His lawyer has said that there is a delay in completing the ‘Disclosure of Incentive Form’. This document is news to me - what is it and who needs sight of it?
The form is intended to provide information to the main parties involved in the purchase. Therefore, it will be provided to your son’s lawyer who should be on the Santander conveyancing panel as a standard part of the process, and to the surveyor when requested. The developer will be required to start the process by downloading the form and completing it. The form will therefore need to be available for the valuer at the time of his or her site visit. The form should be sent to the Santander conveyancing panel solicitor as early as possible, in order to avoid any last minute delays, and no later than at exchange of contracts.
Do the Building Society Association intend to launch a searchable register to to identify firms on the Darlington Building Society conveyancing panel for example in Navenby?
We have not been informed any plans on the part of the BSA to develop such a tool.
I am purchasing a property in Navenby. A rare aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Solicitors conducting should look into this right? Will my lender Kent Reliance be concerned?
Given that your lender is Kent Reliance your lawyer must check the formal instructions set out in Section 2 of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Kent Reliance. The CML Handbook stipulates minimum conditions for solar panel roof-space leases, and lawyers are required to report to Kent Reliance where a lease does not satisfy these specifications. The conditions relate to the installation of panels on properties in England and Wales and is not limited to Navenby.
We expect to receive a OIP from Yorkshire BS this week so we know how much we could potentially offer as otherwise we only have online calculators to go by (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do Yorkshire BS recommend any Navenby solicitors on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel, or is it better to find our own lawyer?
You will need to appoint Navenby solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and Yorkshire BS through the process.
My sealed bid on a detached house in Navenby has been accepted, the owners do nevertheless have a tied purchase. The owners have offered on on an apartment, however it’s not yet tied up, and are looking at other apartments in the pipeline. I have selected a nearby conveyancing solicitor in Navenby. What do I do now? When do I get the mortgage application with RBS going?
It is usual to have apprehensions where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to be too out of pocket too early (mortgage application is in the region of one thousand pounds, then valuation, Navenby conveyancing search costs, etc). The first thing to do is check that your conveyancer is on the RBS conveyancing panel. As to the next phase this very much depends on the uniqueness of your transaction, desire for the property and on the state of the market. In a hot market the majority of home buyers will apply for the mortgage with RBS and pay for the valuation and only if it comes back ok would they request their solicitor to proceed with the conveyancing in Navenby.
I am thinking of appointing a conveyancing solicitor in Navenby for my purchase. Can I see a solicitor's record with the legal regulator?
You can search for documented Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) decisions resulting from investigations 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 non-uk callers, dial +44 (0)121 329 6800. The SRA may recorded telephone calls for training purposes.