When will exchange of contracts occur in residential conveyancing in Thorpe St Andrew and do I need to be at the lawyers branch?
Where you are local to one of the conveyancing solicitors in Thorpe St Andrew you are invited in to sign the paperwork. That being said, the firms we work with offer a national conveyancing service and give just as comprehensive and professional a job for you when dealing with you electronically. The executing of the contract is not the important part. Signing on the dotted line is just a prerequisite for the conveyancer to officially exchange at the appropriate time, which will usually be very shortly after signing. The exchange process is nowadays normally dealt with by telephone and can be very rapid, although where a lengthy "chain" is in play, since the process requires the relevant party's solicitor (not necessarily a conveyancing solicitor in Thorpe St Andrew)to be in the office at the appropriate time.
What happens if my lawyer’s firm is removed from the Virgin Money Solicitor panel ahead of completing my conveyancing in Thorpe St Andrew?
First, this is a very rare occurrence. In most cases even where a law firm is removed off of a panel the lender would allow the completion to go ahead as the lender would appreciate the difficulties that they would place you in if you have to instruct a new solicitor days before completion. In a worst case scenario where the lender insists that you instruct a new firm then it is possible for a very good lawyer to expedite the conveyancing albeit that you may pay a significant premium for this. The analogous situation is where a buyer instructs a lawyer, exchanges contracts and the law firm is shut down by a regulator such as the SRA. Again, in this situation you can find lawyers who can troubleshoot their way to bring the conveyancing to a satisfactory conclusion - albeit for a fee.
My colleague advised me that if I am purchasing in Thorpe St Andrew I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. What does it cover?
This is a search is usually quoted for as part of the standard Thorpe St Andrew conveyancing searches. It is not a small document of about 40 pages, listing and setting out important information about Thorpe St Andrew around the property and the people living there. It incorporates an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the local Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the type of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average Property Price, Crime details, Thorpe St Andrew Education with plans and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data about Thorpe St Andrew.
Me and my brother purchased a renovated Edwardian house in Thorpe St Andrew. Conveyancing practitioner represented me and Godiva Mortgages Ltd. I did a free Land Registry search last week and there are two entries: one for freehold, the second leasehold under the exact same property. I thought I was buying a freehold how can I check?
You need to assess 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 owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Thorpe St Andrew and other locations in 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 lenders. You can also check the situation with the conveyancing solicitor who conducted the purchase.
My cousin has urged me to instruct his lawyers for conveyancing in Thorpe St Andrew. Should I find my own conveyancer?
No doubt it’s preferable to find a conveyancing practitioner is to have guidance from friends or relatives who have previously instructed the conveyancer that you are considering.