We are purchasing a property in Stourbridge. It might be a silly question but how we can trust a solicitor? On completion day we will need to send funds into their account. What protection do we have from them run away with our money?
Be assured that all money in a Solicitors client account is 100% safe, and even if your Solicitor ran off with it, the Law Society would reimburse you fully.
Should our solicitor be making enquiries about flooding during the conveyancing in Stourbridge.
The risk of flooding is if increasing concern for lawyers dealing with homes in Stourbridge. Some people will acquire a property in Stourbridge, fully aware that at some time, it may suffer from flooding. However, leaving to one side the physical damage, where a property is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to get a mortgage, adequate building insurance, or sell the premises. Steps can be carried out during the course of a house purchase to forewarn the buyer.
Solicitors are not best placed to give advice on flood risk, however there are a numerous searches that may be carried out by the purchaser or by their solicitors which should give them a better appreciation of the risks in Stourbridge. The conventional set of property information forms given to a buyer’s lawyer (where the solicitors are adopting what is known as the Conveyancing Protocol) contains a usual question of the seller to determine whether the property has suffered from flooding. In the event that the property has been flooded in past and is not disclosed by the seller, then a buyer may issue a legal claim for losses stemming from an misleading answer. The buyer’s solicitors should also commission an environmental report. This will disclose whether there is any known flood risk. If so, further inquiries should be made.
Am I best advised to instruct a Stourbridge conveyancing solicitor in close proximity to the house I am buying? An old friend can conduct the legal formalities but his firm is located approximately 350miles drive away.
The benefit of a high street Stourbridge conveyancing firm is that you can pop in to execute documents, deliver your ID and pester them where appropriate. They will also have local knowledge which is a bonus. However it's more important to get someone that will do a good and efficient job. If other friends have instructed your friend and in the main were impressed that must trump using an unknown Stourbridge conveyancing solicitor just because they are Stourbridge based.