Do I need to attend the offices of the solicitor to execute the legal charge? If so, I will choose one who does conveyancing in Whitechapel so that I can attend their offices when needed.
As opposed to 15 years ago, the vast majority mortgage companies no longer require their conveyancing panel solicitor to witness the borrowers signature. You will still be obliged to provide ID documents and there are still manifest advantages to instructing a locally based solicitor, in your case a conveyancing solicitor in Whitechapel.
We were going to get a AIP from TSB 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 TSB recommend any Whitechapel solicitors on the TSB conveyancing panel, or is it better to go independently?
You will need to appoint Whitechapel solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the TSB conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and TSB through the process.
My partner and I are at the point of looking at apartments in Whitechapel and I am about to put in an offer. Is it too early to have a solicitor in place? I am planning to take a mortgage with Yorkshire BS.
You should start requesting conveyancing quotes from solicitors ASAP. After you have chosen your lawyer and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and pass their details on to the estate agent. Given that you are seeking a mortgage with Yorkshire BS, ask your prospective lawyers if they are on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel otherwise they can't do the mortgage legal work.
I have a mortgage with Nationwide for my property in Whitechapel. Conveyancing was finalised 12 months ago. Should I wish to rent out the flat and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a buy-to-let mortgage or inform Nationwide?
You must advise Nationwide in advance of renting your property as this is likely to be a breach of Nationwide’s mortgage conditions. In many cases banks or building societies will permit you to let out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact Nationwide directly. You need not do this via a Nationwide conveyancing panel lawyer.
We are intent on selling our property in Whitechapel and according to the buyers it appears that there is a risk of it being constructed land that was not decontaminated. Any local conveyancer would know this is not the case. For the life of me I don't know why the buyers instructed a nationwide conveyancing outfit rather than a conveyancing solicitor in Whitechapel. Having lived in Whitechapel for six years we know of no issue. Do we contact our local Authority to obtain confirmation that there is no issue.
It would appear that you have a conveyancing firm already. What do they say? You should check with your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out life insurance to cover that same illness)
How does conveyancing in Whitechapel differ for new build properties?
Most buyers of new build residence in Whitechapel come to us having been asked by the seller to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the residence is constructed. This is because developers in Whitechapel typically buy the site, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct conveyancers as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are accustomed to new build conveyancing in Whitechapel or who has acted in the same development.
The lawyers undertaking our conveyancing in Whitechapel has sent documents to review that reveal that the land is unregistered with epitome documents. How can it be that the property not registred at the Land Registry?
It is rare for property in Whitechapel to be unregistered. An 'epitome' is basically a dossier of photocopies of documents affecting an unregistered title. Plenty of Whitechapel conveyancing lawyers should be familiar with this type of conveyancing but if any uncertainty prevails the conventional recommendation these days seems to be for the seller’s conveyancer to address the registration formalities first and thereafter sell - this can though naturally result in a prolonged transaction.