We instructed a high street solicitor for my conveyancing in Kingswood last week. After carefully reading the Terms and Conditions it is apparent thatwe are responsible for charges even if the sale doesn't happen. Would I be best advised to appoint an internet solicitor practice offering no-sale-no-fee conveyancing in Kingswood?
It is usually ‘give and take’ in that if "No Sale No Fee" is offered then the fee levels will tend to be be more expensive to neutralise those conveyances that abort. Do bear in mind that these promotions tend not to cover disbursements by way of example Kingswood conveyancing search fees.
The Kingswood conveyancing firm that I appointed last week on my house acquisition in Kingswood have suddenly closed. I chose them because I had to have a firm on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel and my previous Kingswood lawyer was not. I gave my credit card details for them to take one hundred and fifty pounds for searches. What are my options?
Assuming that you have an Estate Agent in the equation then let them know straight away so that they advise the vendors that there may be a slight delay due to the problems encountered. Hopefully they will 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 Leeds Building Society 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 should be in a position to assist.
My wife and I are buying a property in Kingswood. It might be a silly question but how we can trust a solicitor? At some point we will need to put money into their account. What is the protection we have from them run away with our deposit?
Be assured that all money in a Solicitors client account is 100% safe, and even if your Solicitor ran off with it, the Law Society would reimburse you fully.
We previously appointed solicitors located in Kingswood on the TSB solicitor panel. They have just billed me an additional amount for handling the TSB mortgage. Is this a supplemental conveyancing fee specified by TSB?
Provided it is contained in their Terms of Engagement or Quote then yes your solicitor can charge a fee for this. The fee is not dictated by TSB but by your Kingswood property lawyer. Some firms on the TSB panel will levy an ‘acting for lender’ fee but some firms incorporate it on their overall fee.
I recently had an offer agreed on an apartment in Kingswood. My financial adviser pressured me to appoint their property lawyer. I paid an on account payment of £175. Soon after, the conveyancing practitioner contacted me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the Coventry BS conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?
You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Coventry BS panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.
Me and my brother have a semi-detached Georgian property in Kingswood. Conveyancing practitioner acted for me and TSB. I did a free Land Registry search last week and I saw a couple of entries: the first freehold, the second leasehold under the matching property. Is it worth asking TSB to clarify?
You should review the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for 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 Kingswood and other areas of 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 mortgage companies. You can also enquire as to the position with your conveyancing solicitor who completed the work.
How do I use the search app to find a conveyancing solicitor in Kingswood on the approved list for my lender?
Step one is to choose a lender such as Lloyds TSB Bank, Bank of Scotland or Nottingham Building Society then choose your location for instance Kingswood. Conveyancing organisations in Kingswood and further afield should be shown.