I can't travel far from Symonds Yat. Is there a reason why all Symonds Yat conveyancers are not on all lender panels?

Mortgage companies point to the fact that solicitor-led fraud is considered to be responsible for millions of pounds of fraud every year.The dismissal of law firms off of lender panels started with the rise in mortgage fraud, which prompted a thematic review by the Financial Services Authority in 2011. Its outcome included recommendations for lending institutions to review their conveyancing panels, which triggered a major policy change in the sector. It resulted in mortgage companies culling less reputable firms from their panel of approved conveyancers .

Please explain the implications if my lawyer’s firm is removed from the Skipton Solicitor panel ahead of completing my conveyancing in Symonds Yat?

First, this is very unlikely to happen. In most cases even where a law firm is removed off of a panel the lender would allow the completion to go ahead as the lender would appreciate the difficulties that they would place you in if you have to instruct a new solicitor days before completion. In a worst case scenario where the lender insists that you instruct a new firm then it is possible for a very good lawyer to expedite the conveyancing albeit that you may pay a significant premium for this. The analogous situation is where a buyer instructs a lawyer, exchanges contracts and the law firm is shut down by a regulator such as the SRA. Again, in this situation you can find lawyers who can troubleshoot their way to bring the conveyancing to a satisfactory conclusion - albeit at a cost.

I am helping my mother sell her house in Symonds Yat. Does the solicitor arrange the EPC or should I organise this?

After the demise of Home Packs, energy assessments was left as a required part of moving house. An energy performance certificate needs to be commissioned prior to the property being advertised. This is not something that law firms normally organise. Where you are instructing a Symonds Yat conveyancing practitioner they may be willing to arrange energy performance certificates given their contacts with reputable local energy assessors

My aunt pointed out to me me that in purchasing a property in Symonds Yat there could be a number of restrictions preventing external alterations to the property. Is this right?

We are aware of anumerous of properties in Symonds Yat which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to execute external changes. Part of the conveyancing in Symonds Yat should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.

I recently had an offer agreed on a house in Symonds Yat. My mortgage broker pressured me to appoint their conveyancing practitioner. I paid an upfront payment of £175. Not long after, the conveyancer called me to say that they were not on the Aldermore conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?

You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Aldermore panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.

I used Wolstenholmes a few years past for my conveyancing in Symonds Yat. I now require my file but the law firm has closed. 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 Symonds Yat of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously hired, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.

If all goes to plan we aim to complete our sale of a £400,000 apartment in Symonds Yat next Thursday. The freeholder has quoted £384 for Landlord’s certificate, insurance certificate and previous years service charge statements. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge such fees for a leasehold conveyance in Symonds Yat?

Symonds Yat conveyancing on leasehold apartments normally requires the buyer’s lawyer submitting questions for the landlord to address. Although the landlord is under no legal obligation to answer such questions most will be content to do so. They are at liberty to charge a reasonable administration fee for responding to questions or supplying documentation. There is no upper cap for such fees. The average costs for the paperwork that you are referring to is £350, in some cases it is above £800. The management information fee invoiced by the landlord must be accompanied by a synopsis of entitlements and obligations in respect of administration charges, otherwise the invoice is not strictly payable. In reality one has no option but to pay whatever is demanded if you want to complete the sale of your home.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Symonds Yat - A selection of Queries before Purchasing

Who manages the block? How many of the leaseholders are in arrears for their service charge payments? This information is important as a) areas can result in problems in the building as the common areas may begin to deteriorate where repairs are not paid for b) if the leasehold owners have a dispute with the managing agents you will wish to have all the details