My husband and I are hoping to acquire a flat in Worthing and are in fact using a Worthing conveyancing firm. Within the past 48 hours our lawyer has forwarded the sale agreement to be signed with a detailed report in anticipation of exchanging contracts shortly. Lloyds TSB Bank have this afternoon contacted us to inform me that there is now an issue as our Worthing conveyancer is not on their approved list of lawyers. Is this a problem?
When purchasing a property with mortgage finance it is conventional for the purchasers' lawyers to also act for 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 Quality Scheme. Your solicitor 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 solicitors to act. You are not legally obliged to appoint a law firm on the lender’s conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own Worthing solicitors, in which case it will likely add costs, and it will likely delay the transaction as you have another set of people involved.
We were just about to exchange contracts for a property in Worthing. We encountered a stumbling block. The mortgage offer with Halifax runs out on 15/9/2026 but the sellers are suggesting a completion date of 17/9/2026. Can one extend the mortgage offer?
The best person to address this question is your lawyer who should calculate whether he or she is should be discussing with the mortgage broker, seller’s representatives, property agents or conceivably all parties based on the circumstances your house move as of today.
It is 10 years ago since I acquired my home in Worthing. Conveyancing solicitors have just been appointed on the sale but I am unable to locate my title deeds. Will this cause complications?
You need not be too concerned. Firstly the deeds may be kept by your mortgage company or they could be in the possession of the solicitor who oversaw the purchase. Secondly in most cases the title will be recorded at the land registry and you will be able to establish that you own the property by your conveyancing lawyers obtaining up to date copy of the land registers. Almost all conveyancing in Worthing involves registered property but in the rare situation where your property is unregistered it adds to the complexity but is resolvable.
My bid for a property was accepted at auction in Worthing. Conveyancing is needed. What is next?
Having legally committed yourself to purchase you must instruct a conveyancing solicitor quickly as you will have a tight a drop dead date to complete the conveyancing. All auction property will have a bespoke auction set of papers. This will likely include most,if not all of the paperwork that your lawyer will need. Where you are dealing with leasehold premises the auction papers should contain a copy of the lease, management information and a sellers leasehold information form and associated conveyancing documentation relating to leasehold premises. You must give this to the solicitor working for you ASAP. You also need to ensure that your finances are in place to complete the transaction on the set completion date.
We have agreed to purchase a house in Worthing. One unusual aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. UBS have issued a mortgage offer so presumably this is not a concern to them. Why is my solicitor raising questions about the panel?
Given that you are obtaining a mortgage with UBS your lawyer must follow the conveyancing instructions outlined in Section two of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for UBS. The CML Handbook stipulates minimum conditions for solar panel roof-space leases, and conveyancing practitioners are required to report to UBS where a lease fails to satisfy these conditions. The requirements relate to the installation of panels on properties nationwide and is not isolated to Worthing.
Intending to buy a house in Worthing. I have received an online quote from a licenced conveyancer, which states: "There will be no charge for dealing with the Building Society if you are obtaining a mortgage". I take this to mean that there will be no additional fee if the solicitor is on the Aldermore conveyancing panel. I wanted to make sure it means there will be no additional fees for dealing with the mortgage.
They are simply saying that the cost for acting for the lender is included in the fee being quoted. It is worth you checking that the Worthing conveyancing practitioner is on the Aldermore conveyancing panel.
Due to the encouragement of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a house in Worthing in advance of instructing solicitors. I have been informed that there is a flying freehold overhang to the house. The surveyor has said that some mortgage companies tend refuse to give a loan on a flying freehold home.
It depends who your proposed lender is. Santander has different requirements from Halifax. If you e-mail us we can look into this further with the relevant mortgage company. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Worthing. Conveyancing may be slightly more expensive based on your lender's requirements.
My business partner and I are wishing to lease a unit on the high street. Can you recommend conveyancers offering fixed costs for commercial conveyancing in Worthing for under 1500k?
We can recommend firms who have an in-depth of experience of commercial conveyancing in Worthing, including the sale and acquisition of businesses as well as simply premises. Whether you are intending to purchase or dispose of a shop, pub, restaurant, office, retail premises or a whole business we can put you in touch with the right firm. As for the charges this will depend on the structure and terms of the deal. Please provide us with your contact information or phone us so that we may provide you with comprehensive commercial conveyancing calculation.