Is the fact that my solicitor in County Durham is not on my lender's conveyancing panel that there is a problem with the standard of the firm’s conveyancing?
It would be unwise to jump to that conclusion. There are all sorts of perfectly reasonable explanations. Just recently a report by the solicitors regulator revealed 76% of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The top 5 reasons are as follows: (1) lack 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. Should you be concerned you should contact the County Durham conveyancing firm and ask them why they are no longer on the approved list for your bank.
What happens if my solicitor is suspended from the HSBC Solicitor panel ahead of completing my conveyancing in County Durham?
First, this is very unlikely to happen. 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 at a cost.
I appreciate that there are debates on Chancel Insurance on online forums. Am I compelled to have this when acquiring a property in County Durham? or Apparently there is a law dating back centuries that means some house owners living in a parish church boundary may be liable to pay for maintenance to the chancel in proximity to the church. Is this a legitimate concern for conveyancing in County Durham?
Unless a previous purchase of the premises took place after 12 October 2013 you may take it that lawyers conducting conveyancing in County Durham to continue to propose a a chancel search and or insurance against a claim.
I used Action Conveyancing a few years ago for my conveyancing in County Durham. Now, I need my files but the law firm is no longer operating. What do I do?
You should call the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to assist in tracking down your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in County Durham of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously used, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.
I am downsizing from my house. My past lawyers has retired. I am in need of a recommendation of a conveyancing firm. I happen to live in County Durham if that makes a difference.
You should use our search tool to help you choose a solicitor for your conveyancing in County Durham. We have connected thousands of home buyers and sellers with regulated solicitors to ensure that the legalities of their house move runs with a minimum of fuss.