My partner and I are looking to purchase a home in Kilburn and have instructed a Kilburn conveyancing firm. Within the last couple of days our property lawyer has forwarded the sale agreement to be signed with a detailed report with a view to exchanging next week. Bank of Scotland have this evening contacted us to advise us that there is now an issue as our Kilburn solicitor is not on their approved list of lawyers. Is this a problem?
Where you are buying a property needing a mortgage it is standard for the purchasers' solicitors to also act for the purchaser's lender. In order to act for a bank or building society a law firm has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the law firm to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the firm has to satisfy and indeed some lenders now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Accreditation Scheme. Your property lawyer should contact your lender and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own lawyers to represent them. You are not legally obliged to appoint a law firm on the bank's conveyancing panel as you are at liberty to use your preferred Kilburn lawyers, in which case it will likely add costs, and it will likely delay the transaction as you have another set of people involved.
We are due to exchange on the purchase of a house in Kilburn but as a result of wreckage from the recent storms I have managed to agree compensation from the vendor of £2k by way of a adjustment in the price. I had intended this to be addressed as part of the conveyancing process yet UBS are not allowing this. Should they have been involved?
The conveyancing practitioner being on a UBS conveyancing panel is duty bound to advise UBS of any changes to the sale price. If you prohibit your lawyer to notify the price change to UBS then they would have to discontinue acting for you. In addition, UBS and you would have to appoint a new solicitor for your conveyancing in Kilburn.
My lender has recommended solicitors on their panel based in Kilburn but I would rather choose a conveyancing lawyer in Kilburn local to me. Are you able to help?
It is by no means the case that all Kilburn conveyancing practitioners are listed all banks conveyancing panel. Do make use of our search tool to find a Kilburn conveyancing firm on the on the bank panel.
I am purchasing a property in Kilburn. A rare aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Solicitors conducting should look into this right? Will my lender Barclays be concerned?
Given that you are obtaining a mortgage with Barclays your lawyer must comply with the conveyancing instructions outlined in Part 2 of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Barclays. The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook stipulates minimum requirements for solar panel roof-space leases, and solicitors are required to report to Barclays where a lease fails to meet these provisions. The conditions relate to the installation of panels on properties nationwide and is not limited to Kilburn.
Completion of my remortgage has taken place for my property in Kilburn. Conveyancing was a necessary evil but I would like to complain about the lender. How does one go about formally complaining?
Most banks and building societies have complaints procedures. Your first port of call should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Care Department at head office. Ordinarily complaints to a lender are sorted out very quickly. However if you are not satisfied that the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service with full details of your complaint.
I recently had an offer accepted on an apartment in Kilburn. My financial adviser pressured me to appoint their conveyancer. I paid an on account payment of £175. Shortly after, the conveyancing practitioner called me to say that they were not on the Santander 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 Santander 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.
The deeds to our house can not be found. The conveyancers who dealt with the conveyancing in Kilburn 10 years ago have long since closed. What do I do?
In today’s world there are copies made of almost everything, and your conveyancer will know exactly where to find all the suitable documentation so you may buy or dispose of your house without any difficulty. Where duplicates can’t be found, your lawyer may be able to put in place insurance or indemnities protecting you against possible claims on your property.