I am acquiring a house mortgage free in Westbury. I have resided for the last 15 years in Westbury. Conveyancing searches are expensive. Given that I have knowledge of the area and road very well should I not bother getting the solicitor to do all the conveyancing searches?
If you not getting a home loan, then the vast majority of the Westbury conveyancing searches are non-obligatory. Your lawyer will ’encourage you, perhaps strongly, that you should have searches completed, but he has a professional duty to do this. Do consider; if you are going to dispose of the house at a future date, it will be of relevance to your prospective purchaser what the searches reveal. On occasion premises with functional issues can still show up negative search results. A good conveyancing solicitor in Westbury should be able to give you some helpful advice here.
I am remortgaging my flat in Westbury, does my lawyer have to be on the Barclays Solicitor panel?
In theory, you could use a solicitor that is not on the Barclays conveyancing panel, but Barclays would require one of their panel solicitors to be instructed to act in their interests, and you'd have to pay for this - so most people instruct a panel solicitor. It's also easier, as otherwise you'd have to deal with two solicitors for the same transaction.
I require fast conveyancing in Westbury as I am under pressure to complete in less than one month. Luckily I do not need a mortgage. Is it possible to escape the need for conveyancing searches to save fees and time?
As you are not taking a home loan you are at liberty not to do searches although no law firm would advise that you don't. Drawing on our experience of conveyancing in Westbury the following are examples of issues that can be revealed and adversely affect the marketability of the property: Refused Planning Applications, Outstanding Fees, Outstanding Grants, Road Schemes,...
Me and my brother have a renovated Edwardian property in Westbury. Conveyancing practitioner represented me and Bank of Scotland. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and I saw two entries: one for freehold, another for leasehold under the matching address. If a house is not a freehold shouldn't I have been informed?
You should review the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register as there may be mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Westbury and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they mortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with buyers. You can also enquire as to the position with your conveyancing lawyer who conducted the purchase.
My cousin has recommend that I instruct his lawyers for conveyancing in Westbury. Should I use them?
No doubt the ideal way to select a conveyancing solicitor is to seek recommendations from friends or relatives who have actually previously instructed the conveyancer you're contemplating using.