Me and my fiance are hoping to acquire a 1 bedroom flat in Robertsbridge with a mortgage. We like our Robertsbridge lawyer, however the bank says she’s not on their "panel". It seems we have no choice but to appoint one of the lender panel conveyancing practices or keep our Robertsbridge and pay for one of their panel ones to act for them. We feel that this is inequitable; can we not require that the mortgage company use our Robertsbridge ?
No, not really. The mortgage offered to you 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 Robertsbridge conveyancing lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.
My partner and I have recently bought a house in Robertsbridge. We have since encountered a number of problems with the property which we believe were overlooked in the conveyancing searches. Is there anything we can do? Can you clarify the nature of searches that needed to have been conducted for conveyancing in Robertsbridge?
The question is vague as to the nature of the problems and if they are relate to conveyancing in Robertsbridge. Conveyancing searches and due diligence undertaken as part of the buying process are carried out to help avoid problems. As part of the process, a property owner completes a questionnaire called a Seller’s Property Information Form. If the information provided is inaccurate, you could possibly take legal action against the owner for any losses that you have suffered. The survey should have identified any problems with the structure of the property. Assuming a detailed survey was carried out and the issues were not identified, you may have a claim against the surveyor. However, if you did not have a full survey, you may be responsible for fixing any defects that have now been noted. We would always encourage buyers to take every possible step to ensure they are completely aware of the condition of a property before purchase regardless of whether they are buying in Robertsbridge.
The Robertsbridge conveyancing firm that I appointed last week on my purchase in Robertsbridge have suddenly shut down. I chose them because I had to have a firm on the conveyancing panel and my preferred Robertsbridge lawyer was not. I paid them money in advance. What should be my next steps?
If you have an estate agent involved then inform them straight away so that they can let the sellers know that there may be a slight delay due to reasons beyond your control. Hopefully they will be sympathetic and urge their lawyer to send a new set of papers to your new solicitors. You should appoint new lawyers that are on the 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.
What is the difference between a licensed conveyancer and conveyancing solicitor in Robertsbridge
There are many registered licenced Conveyancers in Robertsbridge and Solicitor partnerships in Robertsbridge offering conveyancing It is important to make clear that the two are regulated professionals specialising in the legal work in transferring property. The two can deal with other property legal work such as remortgage conveyancing, lease extensions and transfer of equity conveyancing.
We previously selected conveyancers locally in Robertsbridge on the solicitor panel. They are now charging me a separate fee for the legal aspects of the mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee set by ?
As unfair as it may appear, as long as it’s in their Terms and Conditions or Quote then yes your is entitled to charge a fee for this. This fee is not dictated by but by your Robertsbridge . Plenty of firms on the panel will charge an ‘acting for lender’ fee and others do not.
I currently have a mortgage with for my property in Robertsbridge. Conveyancing has been completed a year ago. If I am intending to rent out my property and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a BTL mortgage or inform ?
You must advise before letting out your property as this is likely to be a breach of ’s mortgage conditions. In many cases banks or building societies will allow you to rent out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact directly. You need not do this via a conveyancing panel lawyer.
How does conveyancing in Robertsbridge differ for new build properties?
Most buyers of new build property in Robertsbridge come to us having been asked by the developer to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the house is constructed. This is because new home sellers in Robertsbridge typically buy the site, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct conveyancing solicitors as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are accustomed to new build conveyancing in Robertsbridge or who has acted in the same development.