My husband and I are acquiring a brand new flat in Swanage and my conveyancer is telling me that she has to the mortgage company to reveal incentives from the seller. I am under pressure to exchange and I would rather not prolong matters. Is my lawyer right?
You should not exchange unless you have been advised to do so by your lawyer. A precondition to being on a bank panel is to comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook provisions. The CML Conveyancing Handbook requires that your lawyer have the appropriate Disclosure of Incentive form completed by the developer and accepted by your lender.
I have been recommended a conveyancing solicitor in Swanage. I need to find out if they are on the Britannia approved list of lawyers. Could you help?
You should contact your lawyer and enquire whether they are on the lender panel. Alternatively you can get in touch with Britannia who may be able to assist.
Just acquired a semi-detached house in Swanage , What is the estimated time for the Land Registry to deal with the formalities evidencing the transfer to my name? My Swanage conveyancing solicitor has been painfully slow, so I want to check that my name is registered.
As far as conveyancing in Swanage registration is no faster or slower than anywhere else in the country. As opposed to being determined by geographic area, timeframes can vary depending on the party submitting the application, whether it is in order and whether the Land registry must send notices to any third parties. Currently approximately 80% of such applications are fully addressed in less than three weeks but occasionally there can be extensive hold-ups. Registration occurs once the buyer has moved in to the premises therefore 'speed' is not usually an essential issue but if it is urgent that the the registration takes place urgently then you or your solicitor could communicate with the Registry to express the reasoning for an expedited registration.
How does conveyancing in Swanage differ for new build properties?
Most buyers of new build property in Swanage come to us having been asked by the housebuilder to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the premises is constructed. This is because house builders in Swanage typically purchase the real estate, 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 used to new build conveyancing in Swanage or who has acted in the same development.
I was pointed in your direction by a number of estate agents in Swanage to select a solicitor using your seach tool. Is there a financial incentive for Estate Agents to offer your services ahead of another?
We refuse to offer any referral fee for pointing buyers and sellers our way. We thought it would be too underhand a fee as members of the public would think, ‘How come the agent getting a kickback? Why am I not receiving any benefit too?’ So we decided to step away from that.
I am thinking of appointing a conveyancing solicitor in Swanage for my remortgage. Is it possible to review a firm’s complaints history with the profession’s regulator?
Anyone may see documented Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) determinations arising from inquisitions from 2008 onwards. Visit Check a solicitor's record. For details about the period before 1 January 2008, or to check a firm's history, phone 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and 09.30 - 18.00 Tuesday. International callers, call +44 (0)121 329 6800. The SRA may recorded call for training reasons.