Can you clarify what the consequences are if my lawyer’s firm is suspended from the Santander Conveyancing panel ahead of completing my conveyancing in Huddersfield?
The first thing to point out is that, 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.
Can you point me to a directory of Nationwide panel conveyancers in Huddersfield on the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook Website?
Unfortunately not yet. There is no such directory service on the CML or Building Society Association sites. Very few lenders make their panel listings viewable on the web. Where you are seeking to appoint a Huddersfield conveyancing practitioner on the Nationwide please make the most of our tool.
After weeks of negotiation I have agreed a price on an apartment in Huddersfield. My mortgage broker suggested a lawyer. I paid an upfront payment of £200. A few days later, the solicitor contacted me to say that they were not on the HSBC conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?
You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the HSBC panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.
I am due to exchange contracts on my apartment. I had a double glazing fitted in October 2008, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My purchaser’s mortgage company, Clydesdale are being problematic. The Huddersfield solicitor who is on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel is saying indemnity insurance will be fine but Clydesdale are requiring a building regulation certificate. Why do Clydesdale have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?
It is probably the case that Clydesdale have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Clydesdale may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing was correctly and safely installed. The indemnity insurance merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.
My friend recommended that where I am buying in Huddersfield I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. What does it cover?
This is a search is sometimes included in the estimate for your Huddersfield conveyancing searches. It is a large report of more than thirty pages, listing and detailing important information about Huddersfield 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, Huddersfield Education with plans and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data about Huddersfield.
Me and my brother have a renovated Georgian property in Huddersfield. Conveyancing solicitor represented me and The Royal Bank of Scotland. I did a free Land Registry search last week and I saw two entries: the first freehold, another for leasehold under the exact same property. I'd like to know for sure, how can I find out??
You need to assess the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register as there may be 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 Huddersfield and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they remortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with buyers. You can also check the position with your conveyancing solicitor who carried out the work.
Given that I will soon part with over three hundred thousand on a garden flat in Huddersfield I would like to talk to a solicitor regarding thehouse move prior to instructing the firm. Can this be arranged?
We could not agree more - we would be pleased to talk to you we do not take any clients on without you speaking to the lawyer due to be doing your conveyancing in Huddersfield.There is no ‘factory style conveyancing’ - each client is unique person, not a file number. The practices that we put you in touch with believe that the figure you are provided with for your conveyancing in Huddersfield should be the amount on the final invoice that you are charged.