Am I correct in assuming that the fact that my solicitor in Highnam is not identified on my lender's conveyancing panel that there is a problem with the quality of her work?
It would not be wise to jump to that conclusion. There are all sorts of perfectly reasonable explanations. A recent report by the solicitors regulator revealed that over three quarters of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The top 5 reasons are as follows: (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. Where you are concerned you should contact the Highnam conveyancing firm and ask them why they are no longer on the approved list for your mortgage company.
How up to date is your search tool for Highnam conveyancing solicitors on the Barclays conveyancing panel? Do Barclays send you an updated list?
Highnam conveyancing firms themselves provide us confirmation that they are on the Barclays conveyancing panel as opposed to being supplied with a list from Barclays directly.
We're in Highnam, First time buyers purchasing with a mortgage (lender is Barclays , and our lawyer is on the Barclays conveyancing panel). How long should the conveyancing process take?
The fact that your lawyer is on the Barclays conveyancing panel is a help. It would almost certainly delay matters if they were not. However, no property lawyer should guarantee a timeframe for your conveyancing, due to third parties outside of your control such as delays caused by lenders,conveyancing search providers or by the other side’s solicitors. The time taken is often determined by the number of parties in a chain.
Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly picked up as part of conveyancing in Highnam?
Restrictive covenants can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the legal transfer of property in Highnam. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’
I'm remortgaging my current house to a buy to let mortgage with TSB and I will use the rest of the raised equity as a down payment on further property. The area we are interested in is Highnam. Will your solicitors be able to act for the two banks and tie in the two deals?
Do use our comparison tool on this site to check that the solicitors are approved by both mortgage companies. On the basis that they are the lawyer will be able to simultaneously deal with the two deals but you should have a chat with you lawyer and communicate your desired outcome and requirements.