We are purchasing a 1 bedroom apartment in Nottinghamshire with a mortgage. We would like to retain our Nottinghamshire lawyer, however the mortgage company says he's not on their "panel". It seems we have no option but to instruct one of the bank panel solicitors or retain our Nottinghamshire property lawyer and pay for one of their panel firms to act for them. We regard this is unjust; is there anything we can do?
No, not really. Your mortgage offer is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the lender’s conveyancing panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. Another option that might be available is for your Nottinghamshire conveyancing lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.
It is 10 years ago since I bought my house in Nottinghamshire. Conveyancing lawyers have just been retained on the sale but I am unable to locate my title deeds. Is this a problem?
Don’t worry too much. First there is a possibility that the deeds will be retained by your lender or they may still be with the conveyancers who oversaw the purchase. Secondly the chances are that the title will be recorded at the land registry and you will be able to prove you own the property by your conveyancing solicitors procuring current official copies of the land registers. Almost all conveyancing in Nottinghamshire involves registered property but in the unlikely event that your property is unregistered it is more of a problem but is resolvable.
My lawyer has informed me that restrictive coveneant insurance is necessary on my purchase. What is the typical level of cover needed for conveyancing in Nottinghamshire?
The right level of restrictive coveneant indemnity insurance should be dictated by who your lender. It would differ for example between HSBC Bank and The Mortgage Works. Conveyancing practitioners as opposed to borrowers take out such policies.
Can I be sure that the Nottinghamshire conveyancing solicitor on the Kent Reliance panel is any good?
When it comes to conveyancing in Nottinghamshire obtaining recommendations is a good start. Before you go ahead, check if they offer a no sale no fee offer. Also, you often get what you pay for - a firm which quotes more, will often provide a better service than one which is cheap as chips. We would always recommend that you speak with the lawyer handling your conveyancing.
I have today made my last payment due on my mortgage with Bank of Ireland. I assume I don't need a Nottinghamshire conveyancer on the Bank of Ireland panel to discharge the mortgage at the Land Registry. Please confirm.
If you have finished paying off your Bank of Ireland mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the Bank of Ireland mortgage from the register. Bank of Ireland, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:
- but are not moving to another property
- where Bank of Ireland has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
- Bank of Ireland has instructed the Land Registry to do so
I am purchasing a property and the conveyancer has identified Chancel Repair to which the property could be obligated to pay because it falls into the area of such a church. She has mentioned insurance. Is this strictly required for conveyancing in Nottinghamshire
Unless a prior purchase of the house took place after 12 October 2013 you can assume that conveyancing practitioners handling conveyancing in Nottinghamshire to remain encouraging a chancel search and or insurance against a claim.
The deeds to my property can not be found. The solicitors who conducted the conveyancing in Nottinghamshire 4 years ago have long since closed. What are my options?
Assuming you have a registered title the details of your proprietorship will be documented by the Land Registry with a Title Number. It is easy to perform a search at the Land Registry, find your house and obtain up to date copies of the property title for less than a fiver. If the property is Leasehold then the Land Registry will in most cases hold a certified copy of the Registered Lease and again, a copy can be obtained for £20 inclusive of VAT.