Am I correct in assuming that the fact that my conveyancer in Tulse Hill is not identified on my bank's solicitor panel that there is a problem with the quality of the firm’s work?

That is most likely a wrong assumption to make. There are all sorts of perfectly plausible explanations. A recent report by the solicitors regulator indicated 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 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 simply call the Tulse Hill conveyancing practice and ask them why they are no longer on the approved list for your lender.

In what way does my ID and proof of funds have anything to do with my conveyancing in Tulse Hill? What am I being asked for?

Tulse Hill conveyancing solicitors as well as nationwide property lawyers throughout the UK have a duty under money laundering regulations to verify the ID of any client in order to satisfy themselves that clients are who they say they are.

Conveyancing clients will need to provide two forms of certified ID; proof of ID (usually a Passport or Driving Licence) and proof of address (typically a Bank Statement less than 3 months old).

Confirmation of source of monies is also required under the money laundering regulations as solicitors are required to investigate that the funds you are using to acquire a property (be it the exchange deposit or the total purchase amount if you are buying mortgage free) has come from legitimate source (such as employment savings) as opposed to the fruits of illegitimate behaviour.

What is the optimum way to discover of the solicitor carrying out my conveyancing in Tulse Hill is on the lender’sapproved panel? I am looking to avoid the situation of having one lawyer for me and one for Accord Mortgages Ltd thus spending £187.00 plus VAT in further legal charges.

Please do make the most of the find a lender approved solicitor tool on this page. Pick the mortgage company and type ‘Tulse Hill’ or your location and you will see numerous conveyancers based in Tulse Hill or near you.

What is your number one tip for choosing a conveyancing solicitor in Tulse Hill

We would encourage you not to go for the lowest Tulse Hill conveyancing costs illustration. You really do get what you pay for when it comes to conveyancing solicitors. A cheap quote may mean that the conveyancing solicitor is handling a lot of jobs at one time and you won’t get the quality of service and the attention that you need. It is, however, wise to use a conveyancer who has a fixed fee on a no sale, no fee basis. This way, you go into the conveyancing with your eyes wide open.

I have instructed a Tulse Hill property lawyer having made sure that they are on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?

Bank of Ireland will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Bank of Ireland 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 Tulse Hill 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.

Nationwide have agreed my mortgage in principle, my bid on a flat in Tulse Hill has been accepted, now what?

The estate agent will want to be informed of your solicitor's details (ensure that the conveyancing practitioners are on the bank’s approved list). Call up Nationwide or your financial adviser and complete any outstanding paperwork. Nationwide will appoint a valuer who will get in contact with the selling agent or vendor to schedule an appointment. Once carried out (assuming no problems) it takes approximately ten days for the mortgage offer to be issued. Nationwide will send the offer to you and your conveyancing practitioners. The legal work will then take it’s course according the nature and complexity of the conveyancing in Tulse Hill.

I'm buying my first flat in Tulse Hill with the aid of help to buy. The builders would not budge the price so I negotiated £7000 of fixtures and fittings instead. The house builders rep advised me not to tell my lawyer about the side-deal as it could impact my mortgage with Godiva Mortgages Ltd. Is this normal?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the builder of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.

Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.

Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.