I am nearing exchange of contracts for my maisonette in Beddington and the estate agent has just e-mailed to advise that the purchasers are switching solicitor. I am told that this is due to the fact that the lender will only deal with property lawyers on their approved list. Why would a major mortgage company only work with certain lawyers rather the firm that they want to select for their conveyancing in Beddington ?

Lenders have always had panels of law firms they are willing to work with, but in the past few years big names such as Lloyds Banking Group, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have worked with them for decades.

Lending institutions justify this action to a rise in fraud by way of justification for the pruning – criteria have been stiffened as a smaller panel is easier to keep an eye on. No lender will say how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society says it is hearing daily from firms that have been removed from panels. Some are unaware that they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyers' case. The purchasers are unlikely to have any impact on this.

We are buying a apartment in Beddington. It might be a silly question but how we can trust a solicitor? At some point we have to deposit funds into their account. What is the protection we have from them run away with our monies?

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.

My lawyer has informed me that absentee landlord insurance is necessary on my purchase. What is the typical level of cover needed for conveyancing in Beddington?

The right level of absentee landlord indemnity insurance should be dictated by who who your lender is. It would differ for example between Yorkshire Building Society and The Mortgage Works. Conveyancing solicitors as opposed to members of the public take out such insurances.

We previously selected solicitors located in Beddington on the Nationwide solicitor approved list. They are now charging me a further fee for handling the Nationwide mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee specified by Nationwide?

Provided it is contained in their Terms and Conditions or estimate then yes your lawyer is entitled to levy a fee for this. This fee is not dictated by Nationwide but by your Beddington conveyancing practitioner. Numerous firms on the Nationwide panel will quote ’dealing with mortgage’ fee and others do not.

How do I identify a Beddington law firm on the HSBC Bank conveyancing panel? I am a keen cyclist and am willing to travel upto 10miles to meet the conveyancer.

Feel free to make use of the tool on this website. Please pick a lender and your location and you will see a number of Beddington conveyancing lawyers based on proximity. We have detailed some Beddington conveyancing firms towards the end of this page and you can call them to verify whether they are on the HSBC Bank approved list

My step-father has encouraged me to instruct his lawyers for conveyancing in Beddington. Should I find my own property lawyer?

No doubt the best way to select a conveyancing practitioner is to get feedback from friends or relatives who have actually experience in using the firm you're are thinking of instructing.

We expect to complete the disposal of our £400,000 garden flat in Beddington next Wednesday. The landlords agents has quoted £384 for Landlord’s certificate, building insurance schedule and 3 years statements of service charge. Is the landlord entitled to charge an administration fee for a leasehold conveyance in Beddington?

For most leasehold sales in Beddington conveyancing will involve, queries regarding the management of a building inevitably needing to be answered directly by the freeholder or its agent, this includes :

Answering pre-exchange enquiries Where consent is required before sale in Beddington Copies of the building insurance and schedule Deeds of covenant upon sale Registering of the assignment of the change of lessee after a sale

Your solicitor will have no control over the level of the charges for this information but the average costs for the information for Beddington leasehold premises is £350. For Beddington conveyancing transactions it is customary for the seller to pay for these costs. The landlord or their agents are under no legal obligation to answer such questions most will be willing to do so - albeit often at exorbitant prices where the fees bear little relation to the work involved. Unfortunately there is no law that requires fixed charges for administrative tasks. Neither is there any legal time frame by which they are obliged to supply answers.

I have had difficulty in trying to purchase the freehold in Beddington. Can this matter be resolved via the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal?

if there is a missing landlord or if there is disagreement about the premium for a lease extension, under the relevant statutes it is possible to make an application to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal to judgment on the amount due.

An example of a Lease Extension matter before the tribunal for a Beddington premises is Ground Floor Flat 14 Lodge Road in October 2013. the tribunal held that the price payable for the acquisition of the extended lease of the property should be £12,590 .00 This case was in relation to 1 flat. The remaining number of years on the lease was 69.46 years.