My husband and I are intent on buying an apartment in Woodford. My Conveyancer is not on the mortgage company approved panel. Is it possible for me to retain my Woodford conveyancing solicitor notwithstanding that they are not on the lender panel of approved conveyancing solicitors?
One will need to have a solicitor to deal with the legal work required when you need a loan to buy your property. They will conduct all the relevant legal checks on the property, make sure that you’re properly registered as the owner and ensure that all the necessary mortgage paperwork is in place. You can appoint a Woodford solicitor of your choice. Nevertheless, where the property lawyer appointed is not on the bank approved list additional charges will be incurred as separate legal representation will be required by them. Conveyancing panel applications can be submitted, so provided your lawyer has not historically sought membership they can do so.
Completed the sale of my flat in Woodford last June yet the purchaser is e-mailing me to say her conveyancer needs to hear from mine. What should my lawyer have done now that I have sold?
After completion of your sale your solicitor should deliver the transfer deeds and all supplemental paperwork to the buyer’s lawyers. Where relevant, your lawyer must also send confirmation that the home loan has been paid off to the buyers solicitors. There is unlikely to be post completion steps specific conveyancing in Woodford.
I am purchasing a new build flat in Woodford. Can I do my own conveyancing?
Leaving aside the complexities and merits of DIY conveyancing in Woodford you will have to appoint a solicitor on your mortgage company's conveyancing panel to look after their interests. Most people therefore find it easier to let the solicitor act for them and the lender. Furthermore there is minimal cost savings to be made in you doing conveyancing for yourself and another lawyer conducting the conveyancing for the lender. Please feel free to use the search tool to find a lawyer on your lender panel in Woodford.
Is it correct that all Woodford CQS (Conveyancing Quality Scheme) solicitors are on the Nationwide conveyancing list of approved solicitors?
A selection of lenders now make use of the accreditation scheme as the kick off point for Panel membership such as HSBC and Santander. The Law Society’s CQS accreditation however gives no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. That being said,the CML have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for solicitors wishing to remain on their panels.
I am buying a property in Woodford. An unusual aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Solicitors conducting should look into this right? Will my lender Skipton be concerned?
Given that you are obtaining a mortgage with Skipton your lawyer must comply with the formal requirements outlined in Part 2 of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Skipton. The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook sets out minimum conditions for solar panel roof-space leases, and property lawyers are required to report to Skipton where a lease does not meet these provisions. The provisions relate to the installation of panels on properties in England and Wales and is not restricted to Woodford.
The formalities of my purchase has taken place for my property in Woodford. Conveyancing was a necessary evil but I would like to complain about the lender. Who do I contact should I wish to lodge a complaint?
All 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. In most cases complaints to a lender are sorted out very quickly. If you feel the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service, South Quay Plaza, 183 Marsh Wall, London E14 9SR with full details of your complaint.
I have been on the look out for a leasehold apartment up to £305k and found one round the corner in Woodford I like with open areas and transport links in the vicinity, the downside is that it's only got 51 years unexpired on the lease. There is not much else in Woodford for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake purchasing a short lease?
If you require a mortgage the remaining unexpired lease term will likely be a potential deal breaker. Reduce the price by the expected lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing proprietor has owned the property for a minimum of twenty four months you could request that they commence the lease extension formalities and pass it to you. You can add 90 years to the current lease term and have £0 ground rent by law. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer about this.
A conveyancing firm acted on my conveyancing in Woodford half a dozen years past having archived my registration documents but has now closed – how do I retreive these?
Title deeds, as such, are no longer appropriate for most homes in Woodford are recorded digitally at Land Registry. If you need to prove ownership or are disposing of or re-mortgaging your lawyer will need to 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 with reasonable haste.