I have just been advised by my mortgage broker that my East Coker lawyer is not on the bank Solicitor panel. What can I do to be sure if this is correct?
The first thing you need to do is to call your East Coker lawyer directly. You lawyer should inform you what has happened. Where they are not on the panel they could put your in touch with solicitors on the conveyancing panel for your mortgage company.
The owners have rather brash sellers who has suggested a preliminary contract with a payment of 5k. Are such agreements sensible?
There are a couple of main downsides with signing a lock out contract (sometimes termed an exclusivity agreement) is that it takes away the focus from moving forward with the conveyancing process, so in the absence of it needing little or no negotiation then it could transpire to be unhelpful. It is not particularly popular amongst East Coker conveyancing lawyers for this reason. A supplemental issue is the extent of the remedies available - an aggrieved buyer is not likely to obtain an injunctive ruling by a court to bar the owner disposing of the property to an alternative purchaser, so the only remedy open via the agreement will be the recovery of abortive costs and, in limited scenarios, the additional payment of penalties.
I have a decision in principle. The bank mentioned the loan came with free conveyancing. Does this mean I have to instruct their panel solicitor as I would much rather appoint a local conveyancing solicitor in East Coker?
You should check but the the likelihood is that give you one of their panel solicitors if you accept the "fee-free" offer. Contact the mortgage company and explore if they offer you a monetary alternative. In the past a few mortgage companies offered a £250 cashback as an alternative in which case that money can go towards the cost for your conveyancing solicitor in East Coker.
Given that I am about to part with £400,000 on a house in East Coker I wish to have a conversation with the lawyer concerning thehome move prior to appointing the firm. Is this something that you can arrange?
We could not agree more - we would be pleased to talk to you we do not take any clients on without you first talking to the lawyer who will be doing your property ownership legalities in East Coker.There is no ‘factory style conveyancing’ - every client is an important person, not a file number. The solicitors that we put you in touch with believe that the figure you are calculated and presented to you for residential conveyancing in East Coker should be the amount on the final invoice that you are charged.
I need to instruct a conveyancing lawyer in East Coker for my purchase. Is there any facility to check a solicitor's complaints history with the legal regulator?
Anyone can read presented Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) determinations arising from investigations commenced on or after 1 January 2008. Visit Check a solicitor's record. To find details about the period before 1 January 2008, or to check a solicitors record, telephone 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and 09.30 - 18.00 Tuesday. For callers outside the UK, dial +44 (0)121 329 6800. The SRA sometimes recorded telephone calls for training reasons.