We are purchasing a 2 bedroom flat in Swanland with a mortgage. We wish to retain our Swanland conveyancer, however the bank advise he's not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the lender panel firms or continue with our Swanland lawyer and pay for one of their panel firms to act for them. We regard this is unjust; is there anything we can do?
No, not really. Your mortgage offer 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 Swanland conveyancing solicitor to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.
We're in Swanland, FTBs purchasing with a mortgage (lender is Virgin Money , and our solicitor is on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel). How long should the conveyancing process take?
The fact that your lawyer is on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel is a help. It would almost certainly delay matters if they were not. However, no conveyancer should guarantee a timeframe for your conveyancing, due to third parties outside of your control such as delays caused by lenders,conveyancing search providers or by the other side’s solicitors. The time taken is often determined by the number of parties in a chain.
Is it necessary to pay for insurance to address the risk of chancel repairs when acquiring a property in Swanland?
Unless a previous purchase of the house took place post 12 October 2013 you could assume that solicitors conducting conveyancing in Swanland to continue to advocate a chancel search and or chancel repair liability policy.
Am I best advised to choose a Swanland conveyancing practitioner who is local to the property I am hoping to buy? I have an old university friend who can carry out the legal formalities however his firm is located 400kilometers drive away.
The benefit of a high street Swanland conveyancing firm is that you can visit the firm to execute paperwork, deliver your ID and pester them where appropriate. Having local Swanland know how is a benefit. That being said nothing is more important than finding someone that will do a good and efficient job. If you know people who instructed your friend and on the whole were content that should trump using an unfamiliar Swanland conveyancing solicitor solely due to them being based in the area.
Developers have recommended to me a conveyancer and I've obtained an estimate from them. It's nearly £400 less expensive than my family Swanland solicitor. Should I use them?
Builders frequently have panels of conveyancers who expedite matters and who know the builder's paperwork and lawyer. Plenty of developers offer an incentive to select a preferred solicitor for this reason, any increased charges can be avoided and a builder won't recommend a conveyancing factory and run the risk of having the transaction stall when they demand an exchange in 28 days. The argument for not opting for the suggested conveyancing practitioner is that they may prove reluctant to 'push' your interests at the risk of upsetting the sellers. If you worry that this may be the case you should remain with your high street Swanland conveyancer.