Recently contacted my conveyancing lawyer in Newbury who completed the legal work 18 months ago asking for a conveyancing estimate based on an identical type of house sale & purchase (a leasehold residence and a freehold premises) of similar values with a loan from Platform Home Loans Ltd. It looks as though am now being quoted double. Am I right to be tempted to shop around for an alternative conveyancer?
The quote is fractionally on the high side. Where you are prepared to invest time contrasting prices you could trim some of the expense by perhaps a hundred pounds. On the other hand, if you were content with the legal work the firm offered you maylive to rue opting for an an unknown solicitor. If is important to enquire that the conveyancer can also act for Platform Home Loans Ltd. You can make use of our search tool to select a Newbury conveyancing firm on the Platform Home Loans Ltd conveyancing panel, which can often include conveyancing solicitors in Newbury.
My husband and I decided to purchase a newly converted apartment in Newbury with a loan from HSBC Bank.We like our Newbury conveyancing practitioner but HSBC Bank informed us her practice is not listed on their "panel". We have to appoint a HSBC Bank panel firm or keep our high street solicitor and fork out for a HSBC Bank panel lawyer to act for them. We feel as though this is unjust; Can we not simply insist that HSBC Bank use our lawyer?
Unfortunately,no. The home loan offered to you is subject to its terms and conditions, a common one being that lawyers must be on the HSBC Bank solicitor panel. in the past, most banks had large numbers of solicitors on their panels: a borrower could find one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. Another option that might be available is for your lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel for HSBC Bank
How can we tell if a Newbury conveyancing solicitor on the Virgin Money panel is any good?
When it comes to conveyancing in Newbury obtaining recommendations is a good start. Before you go ahead, check if they offer a no sale no fee offer. Also, you often get what you pay for - a firm which quotes more, will often provide a better service than one which is cheap as chips. We would always recommend that you speak with the solicitor carrying out your conveyancing.
We were going to get a OIP from Aldermore this week so we know how much we could potentially offer as otherwise we only have online calculators to go by (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do Aldermore recommend any Newbury solicitors on the Aldermore conveyancing panel, or is it better to find our own lawyer?
You will need to appoint Newbury solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the Aldermore conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and Aldermore through the process.
Completion of my purchase has taken place for my property in Newbury. Conveyancing was a necessary evil but I feel I should register my dissatisfaction about the lender. Who do I contact should I wish to lodge a complaint?
Most banks and building societies have complaints procedures. Your first port of call should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Services Team at head office. We understand that complaints to a lender are sorted out very quickly. However if you are not satisfied that the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service with full details of your complaint.
Over the last few months I have been searching for a leasehold apartment up to £245,000 and found one round the corner in Newbury I like with amenity areas and railway links nearby, the downside is that it only has 49 years on the lease. There is not much else in Newbury in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error buying a short lease?
If you need a home loan the remaining unexpired lease term will be a potential deal breaker. Discount the offer by the anticipated lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the current owner has owned the premises for at least twenty four months you could request that they commence the lease extension formalities and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer regarding this.
Should I instruct a Newbury conveyancing solicitor who is local to the property I am hoping to buy? I have an old university friend who can carry out the legal formalities but her office is a couple of hundredmiles away.
The benefit of a local Newbury conveyancing firm is that you can visit the firm to sign documents, present your ID and pester them if necessary. They will also have local knowledge which is a benefit. That being said it's more important to get someone that will pull out all the stops for you. If if people you trust used your friend and on the whole were happy that must surpass using an unfamiliar Newbury conveyancing lawyer just because they are local.