The Filton conveyancing lawyers that I recently instructed on my house acquisition in Filton have without warning shut down. They were on acting for me because I needed a firm on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel and my previous Filton lawyer was not. I gave my credit card details for them to take £195 for searches. What do I do now?

If you have an estate agent involved then inform them immediately so that they can let the sellers know that there may be a slight delay due to reasons beyond your control. Most sellers would be sympathetic and urge their lawyer to send a new set of papers to your new solicitors. You should appoint new lawyers that are on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel and notify the lender. If you have paid over any money, it will hopefully be held by the SRA as money in an intervened firm's bank accounts is transferred to the SRA. Then, the SRA or the intervention agent looks at the intervened firm's accounts to work out who the money belongs to. To claim your money you will need to contact the SRA. If the SRA cannot return money you are owed from the firm's bank accounts, or if they can only return part of the money, you can apply to the Compensation Fund for a grant. Your new lawyers may be able to assist.

There are numerous conveyancing solicitors in Filton but how do I know who I should use?

It would be unwise to be tempted by the lowest Filton conveyancing quote. You really do get what you pay for when it comes to property lawyers. A cheap quote may mean that the conveyancing solicitor is handling a lot of jobs at one time and you won’t get the quality of service and the attention that you need. It is, however, wise to use a conveyancer who has a fixed fee on a no sale, no fee basis. This way, you go into the conveyancing with your eyes wide open.

My fiancee and I are in the process of looking at houses in Filton and I am now considering a potential offer. Should I already have a lawyer in place at this point? I intend to finance via a home loan with Aldermore.

It would be sensible to commence your search sooner rather than later. Once you decide who you want to use and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and pass their contact information on to the EA. Given that you are seeking a mortgage with Aldermore, make sure you remember to check that your lawyer is on the Aldermore conveyancing panel.

Completion of my remortgage has taken place for my property in Filton. Conveyancing was satisfactory but I feel I should register my dissatisfaction about the lender. How do I make a complaint?

Most lenders have complaints procedures. Your first port of call should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Care Department at head office. We understand that complaints to a lender are sorted out very quickly. If you feel the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service, South Quay Plaza, 183 Marsh Wall, London E14 9SR who will take matters further.

I need some fast conveyancing in Filton as I have an ultimatum to sign on the dotted line in less than one month. A home loan is not required. Can I decline from having 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 conveyancer would suggest that you don't. With lots of history conveyancing in Filton the following are instances of what can arise and adversely impact market value: Enforcement Actions, Overdue Fees, Overdue Grants, Road Schemes,...

I used Wolstenholmes a few years ago for my conveyancing in Filton. Now, I need the files but the law firm is no longer operating. What do I do?

You should call the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to help locate 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 Filton of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously instructed, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.

Last August I purchased a leasehold house in Filton. Do I have any liability for service charges for periods before completion of my purchase?

In a situation where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous owner and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. However, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. A critical element of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to be sure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.

If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).

Filton Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - A selection of Queries Prior to Purchasing

How much is the ground rent and service charge? The prefered form of lease structure is a share of the freehold. In this arrangement the lessees enjoy control and notwithstanding that a managing agent is usually retained if it is bigger than a house conversion, the managing agent retained by the leaseholders.