Is the fact that my solicitor in Hertford is not listed on my mortgage company's conveyancing panel that there is a problem with the standard of his work?
It would be unwise to jump to that conclusion. There are all sorts of perfectly plausible explanations. A recent report by the solicitors regulator revealed that over three quarters of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The most common reasons for removal are: (1) low volume of transactions (2) the lawyer is a sole practitioner (3) as part of the HSBC panel reduction (4) regulatory contact by SRA (5) accidental removal. Should you be concerned you should contact the Hertford conveyancing practice and enquire why they are no longer on the approved list for your lender.
At what point does exchange of contracts take place for purchase conveyancing in Hertford and am I required to be at the lawyers branch?
Where you are round the corner to our conveyancing solicitors in Hertford you are welcome to come in to sign the paperwork. However, the law practices we recommend offer a nationwide conveyancing service and give just as detailed and professional a job for you when communicating with you digitally. The executing of the contract is not when everything is set in stone. Signing on the dotted line is necessary for the conveyancer to officially exchange at the suitable time, which is ordinarily shortly after signing. The procedure is nowadays normally dealt with by telephone and can be very rapid, although where a long "chain" is involved, since the process requires the relevant party's solicitor (not necessarily a conveyancing solicitor in Hertford)to be in the office available at the end of the phone to exchange contracts.
My home in Hertford is up for sale and I have accepted an offer. Will my solicitor have to be required to be on the HSBC conveyancing panel in order to deal with the discharge of my mortgage?
Ordinarily, even if your lawyer is not on the HSBC conveyancing panel they can still act for you on your sale. It might be that the lender will not release the original deeds (if applicable and increasingly irrelevant) until after the mortgage is paid off. You should speak to your lawyer directly before you start the process though to ensure that there is no problem as lenders are changing their requirements fairly frequently at the moment.
There are plenty of conveyancing solicitors in Hertford but how do I know who's good?
It would be unwise to be seduced by the cheapest Hertford 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.
Last month we had a mortgage agreed in principle with Barclays. Hertford conveyancing practitioners have been appointed. What is the average time that one could expect to receive a mortgage offer from Barclays?
There is no definitive answer here. Have Barclays completed the survey? Have you informed Barclays as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the Barclays conveyancing panel? Sometimes it can take as long as six weeks for a mortgage offer to be issued.
About to purchase maisonette in Hertford. I have received an online quote from a licenced conveyancer, which states: "There will be no charge for dealing with the Building Society if you are obtaining a mortgage". I take this to mean that there will be no additional fee if the solicitor is on the Lloyds conveyancing panel. I wanted to make sure it means there will be no additional fees for dealing with the mortgage.
They are simply saying that the cost for acting for the lender is included in the fee being quoted. It is worth you checking that the Hertford conveyancer is on the Lloyds conveyancing panel.
I am selling our home in Hertford and the buyers lawyers are claiming that there is a risk of it being constructed on contaminated land. Any local conveyancer would know this is not the case. It does beg the question why the purchasers are using an online conveyancing firm rather than a conveyancing solicitor in Hertford. We have lived in Hertford for many years we know that this is a non issue. Should we contact our local Authority to get clarification that there is no issue.
It would appear that you have a conveyancing firm currently acting for you. Are they able to advise? You must 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 health insurance to cover that same sickness)