I am obtaining a mortgage offer from Santander. My intention is to instruct a Licensed Conveyancer in Mid Wales. Does the Santander Solicitor panel include conveyancers regulated by the CLC?
The Santander conveyancing panel is, like many other lenders, associated to the Council or Mortgage Lenders or BSA, open to Licensed Conveyancers regulated by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.
We are about to exchange buying a house in Mid Wales but as a consequence of damage from some water damage at the property I have was able negotiate recompense from the current proprietors of £3k taking the form of a deduction in the price. This was going to be dealt with as part of a side agreement however Nationwide are not allowing this. Should they have been involved?
Your solicitor being on a Nationwide conveyancing panel is duty bound to inform Nationwide of any changes to the sale price. If you were to refuse your lawyer to disclose the reduction to Nationwide then they would have to discontinue acting for you. In addition, Nationwide and you would have to appoint a new conveyancing practitioner for your conveyancing in Mid Wales.
I am purchasing a property in Mid Wales. One unusual aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Solicitors conducting should look into this right? Will my lender HSBC be concerned?
Given that you are obtaining a mortgage with HSBC your lawyer must check the formal requirements set out in Part two of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for HSBC. The CML Handbook includes minimum requirements for solar panel roof-space leases, and property lawyers are required to report to HSBC where a lease does not comply with these conditions. The requirements relate to the installation of panels on properties in England and Wales and is not restricted to Mid Wales.
I recently had an offer agreed on a house in Mid Wales. My financial adviser recommended their conveyancers. I paid an advanced payment of £225. A couple of days later, the lawyer contacted me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the Kent Reliance 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 Kent Reliance 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.
After shopping around on the internet I have found a Mid Wales solicitor having made sure that they are on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?
Clydesdale will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Clydesdale will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. You may wish to consider appointing your own Mid Wales surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller.
The deeds to my house are lost. The lawyers who handled the conveyancing in Mid Wales 4 years ago are no longer around. Will I be able to sell the house?
These day there are copies made of almost everything, and your conveyancer will know exactly where to look for all the relevant documentation so you can buy or sell your property without any difficulty. If duplicates are not available, your lawyer can arrange cover in the form of insurance or indemnities against future claims on the property.
Do online conveyancing companies cover everything a local Mid Wales solicitor does or must I retain a solicitor for the final stages for my conveyancing in Mid Wales?
Where you use an online conveyancer they will undertake all the work your Mid Wales conveyancer will cover.