My partner and I are planning to buy a property in Milnrow and have appointed a Milnrow conveyancing practice. Within the past 48 hours our lawyer has sent a preliminary report and documents to look through in anticipation of exchanging contracts shortly. Clydesdale have this evening contacted us to advise us that they have now hit a problem as our Milnrow lawyer is not on their approved list of lawyers. Is this a problem?
Where you are buying a property requiring a mortgage it is conventional for the purchasers' solicitors to also represent 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 don't have to instruct a firm on the lender’s conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own Milnrow solicitors, in which case it will likely add costs, and it will likely delay the transaction as you have another set of people involved.
My partner and I are downsizing from our property in Milnrow and according to the buyers it appears that there is a possibility that the property was constructed land that was not decontaminated. A high street Milnrow lawyer would know that there is no such problem. For the life of me I don't know why the buyers instructed a web based conveyancing firm rather than a conveyancing solicitor in Milnrow. Having lived in Milnrow for 4 years we know that this is a non issue. Is it a good idea to get in touch with our local Authority to get confirmation that the buyers are looking for.
It would appear that you have a conveyancing firm currently acting for you. Are they able to advise? You should enquire of your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out life insurance to cover that same illness)
I used Action Conveyancing several years past for my conveyancing in Milnrow. Now, I need the files but the law firm is no longer operating. What do I do?
Do contact 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 Milnrow of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously hired, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.
How does conveyancing in Milnrow differ for new build properties?
Most buyers of new build or newly converted property in Milnrow contact us having been asked by the seller to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the residence is finished. This is because builders in Milnrow usually purchase 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 conveyancers 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 Milnrow or who has acted in the same development.
My uncle has suggested that I use his conveyancers in Milnrow. Should I find my own property lawyer?
Much as we are happy to recommend a Milnrow conveyancing lawyer the ideal way to select a conveyancing practitioner is to get recommendations from friends or relatives who have used the conveyancer you're considering.