Is the fact that my solicitor in Potters Bar is not on my bank's conveyancing panel that there is a problem with the standard of her conveyancing?
That would most likely be a wrong assumption to make. There are all sorts of perfectly reasonable explanations. A recent report by the solicitors regulator revealed 76% 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 solicitor 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 Potters Bar conveyancing firm and ask them why they are no longer on the approved list for your mortgage company.
Can the conveyancing lawyers that you recommend handle conveyancing in Potters Bar by way of an attended exchange?
There are a few conveyancing specialists who can conduct attended exchanges. Do e-mail us to receive a conveyancing quote and details as to dates.
The Potters Bar conveyancing lawyers that I appointed last week on my house acquisition in Potters Bar have without warning closed. I only went with them because I had to have a firm on the HSBC conveyancing panel and my previous Potters Bar lawyer was not. I sent them a cheque for £250 in advance. What are my options?
Assuming that you have an Estate Agent in the equation then let them know immediately so that they advise the vendors that there may be a slight delay due to reasons beyond your control. Most sellers would be sympathetic and urge their lawyer to send a new set of papers to your new solicitors. You will need to appoint new lawyers that are on the HSBC 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 solicitors should be in a position to help.
We had instructed conveyancing lawyers locally in Potters Bar on the UBS solicitor approved list. They have just invoiced me an additional charge for dealing with the UBS mortgage. Is this a supplemental conveyancing fee specified by UBS?
Provided it is contained in their Terms of Engagement or estimate then yes your property lawyer can charge a fee for this. The fee is not dictated by UBS but by your Potters Bar conveyancer. Numerous firms on the UBS panel will quote ’dealing with mortgage’ fee but some firms incorporate it on their overall fee.
My husband and I are at the point of viewing houses in Potters Bar and I am now considering a potential offer. Should I already have a property lawyer appointed at this point? I am planning to take a home loan with Virgin Money.
You should start requesting conveyancing estimates from solicitors ASAP. Once you decide who you want to use and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and forward their contact information on to the EA. As you are obtaining a mortgage with Virgin Money, ask your prospective lawyers if they are on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel otherwise they can't do the mortgage legal work.
I am selling my flat. I had a double glazing fitted in March 2010, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My buyer's lender, Nationwide are being pedantic. The Potters Bar solicitor who is on the Nationwide conveyancing panel is saying indemnity insurance will be fine but Nationwide are requiring a building regulation certificate. Why do Nationwide have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?
It is probably the case that Nationwide have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Nationwide may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing was correctly and safely installed. The indemnity insurance merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.
I have been told that property searches are the main reason for obstruction in Potters Bar conveyancing transactions. Is that correct?
The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) released conclusions of research by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not feature amongst the top 10 causes of delays during the legal transfer of property. Searches are not likely to be the root cause of holding up conveyancing in Potters Bar.