Am I correct in assuming that the fact that my conveyancer in Lewisham is not identified on my bank's solicitor panel that there is a problem with the quality of her work?
It would be unwise to jump to that conclusion. There are plenty of plausible explanations. Just recently a report by the solicitors regulator revealed 76% of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The top 5 reasons are as follows: (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. If you are concerned you should contact the Lewisham conveyancing practice and enquire why they are no longer on the approved list for your lender.
We have very brash sellers who has recommended a preliminary contract with a deposit 6,000. Are such agreements appropriate for Lewisham conveyancing transactions?
There are a couple of main concerns with signing a lock out contract (also termed a shut-out contract) is that it can distract from making progress with the conveyancing process, so in the absence of it needing little or no negotiation then it may transpire to be unhelpful. It is not particularly popular amongst Lewisham conveyancing lawyers as a result. A further issue is the extent of the remedies available - a jilted buyer is not likely to be granted an injunctive ruling by a court to prohibit the owner disposing of the property to a third party, so the only remedy available under the contract will be the reimbursement of wasted costs and, in limited scenarios, the extra payment of damages.
Can I use your services to find a Conveyancing solicitor in Lewisham even where I’m not buying or disposing of a house, for instance where I intend to acquire a shop in Lewisham with a loan from Clydesdale?
The service is primarily utilised to help choose domestic conveyancing solicitors in Lewisham but we have listed at the end of this page some Lewisham commercial conveyancing firms. You will need to speak with the solicitors directly to check if they are also authorised to represent Clydesdale
We are buying a apartment in Lewisham. It might be a silly question but how we can trust a conveyancer? At some point we have to put funds into their account. What protection do we have from them run away with our monies?
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.
It is unclear whether my mortgage offer obliges me to make sure the lease term for the flat is extended prior to the completion date. I have telephoned my Lewisham building society branch on various occasions and was advised it wasn't an issue and they would lend. My Lewisham conveyancing solicitor - who is on the bank conveyancing panel- telephoned and was told they refuse to lend in accordance with their specific requirements. Who do I believe?
Provided that the property lawyer is on the mortgage company panel, she or he must comply with the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook provisions for the bank. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that the mortgage company will go ahead, your lawyer has no choice but to refrain from exchanging contract and committing you to the purchase. We would suggest that you ask the lender to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the number of years remaining.
I recently had an offer agreed on a house in Lewisham. My mortgage broker pressured me to appoint their conveyancing practitioner. I paid an on account payment of £175. Shortly after, the conveyancing practitioner called me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the Bank of Ireland 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 Bank of Ireland 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.
I have justbeen informed that Action Conveyancing have been shut down. They carried out my conveyancing in Lewisham for a purchase of a freehold house 18 months ago. How can I check that my home is in my name in the name of the previous owner?
The easiest way to check if the property is registered to you, you can carry out a search of the land registry (£3.00). You can either do this yourself or ask a law firm to do this for you. If you are not registered you can seek help from one of a number of Lewisham conveyancing specialists.