Am I correct in assuming that the fact that my conveyancer in Sunninghill is not on my lender's solicitor panel that there is a problem with the standard of the firm’s work?
It would not be wise to jump to that conclusion. There are plenty of plausible explanations. A recent report by the solicitors regulator revealed 76% of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The top 5 reasons are as follows: (1) lack 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. Should you be concerned you should contact the Sunninghill conveyancing practice and ask them why they are no longer on the approved list for your lender.
As a novice what is the most important piece of guidance you can impart regarding purchase conveyancing in Sunninghill?
You may not hear this from too many lawyers but conveyancing in Sunninghill or throughout Berkshire is an adversarial process. In other words, when it comes to conveyancing there is plenty of room for friction between you and others involved in the legal transfer of property. E.g., the vendor, estate agent and on occasion your mortgage company. Selecting a lawyer for your conveyancing in Sunninghill should not be taken lightly as your conveyancer is your adviser, and is the ONLY party in the transaction whose interest is to look after your legal interests and to protect you.
We are witnessing a distinct increase in the "blame" culture- someone must be blamed for the process being so protracted. You must always trust your solicitor above all other parties when it comes to the legal transfer of property.
Do I need to be concerned that third parties that I am dealing with are recommending a nationwide conveyancing firm as opposed to a local Sunninghill conveyancing firm?
As is the case with many service providers, often referrals from connections can be most helpful. Yet there are lots of people with a keen interest in a conveyancing transaction; estate agents, financial adviser and mortgage companies may recommend conveyancers to choose. On occasion these conveyancers might be known to one of the organisations as experts in their field, but occasionally there may be a financial incentive behind the endorsement. You are at liberty to select your preferred lawyer. You need to be aware that most lenders specify a panel list of law firms you are obliged to use for the mortgage aspect of your transaction.
We're FTB’s - had an offer accepted, yet the selling agent informed us that the vendor will only proceed if we appoint the agent's chosen lawyers as they want an ‘expedited deal’. We would rather use a family conveyancer who is familiar with conveyancing in Sunninghill
We suspect that the owner is not behind this request. If they want ‘a quick sale', taking such a hostile approach to a genuine purchaser is likely to cause more damage than good. Speak to the vendors direct and make the point that (a)you are keen to buy (b)you are excited to move forward, with finances in place © you are chain free (d) you wish to move quickly (e)but you will continue to use your own,trusted Sunninghill conveyancing firm - rather thanthe ones that will provide the estate agent a commission or hit his conveyancing figures pre-set by senior management.
A conveyancing company dealt with my conveyancing in Sunninghill 5 years ago having stored my registration certificates but has since been shut down – how do I retreive these?
Deeds, as such, are no longer appropriate for the majority of properties in Sunninghill are registered digitally at Land Registry. Where you need to prove evidence of proprietorship or are disposing of or refinancing your conveyancing practitioner should obtain up to date copies of the register from the Land Registry in any case.
If you feel there may be other documents or you have any other queries please e-mail your request with details of the transaction and documents you need to filerequest@clc-uk.org. The CLC will let you know what information they have and any additional information they may need before they are in a position to identify and send the documents to you. Following an intervention it may take some time for the CLC to access archived files and documents, but your request will be actioned as quickly as possible.