The Rochdale conveyancing firm handling our Rochdale conveyancing has identified a difference between the assumptions in the home valuation report and what is in the title deeds. My solicitor has advised that he is duty bound to check that the lender is OK with this discrepancy and is content to go ahead. Is my solicitor’s course or action appropriate?

Your conveyancing practitioner must comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook provisions which do require that your lawyer disclose any incorrect assumptions in the lender’s valuation report and the legal papers. Should you refuse to allow your lawyer to make the appropriate notification then your lawyer will have no choice but to discontinue acting for both parties.

As someone unfamiliar with conveyancing in Rochdale what’s your top tip you can impart concerning the ownership transfer in Rochdale

You may not hear this from too many lawyers but conveyancing in Rochdale or throughout Greater Manchester is an adversarial experience. In other words, when it comes to conveyancing there exists lots of room for confrontation between you and other parties involved in the ownership transfer. For instance, the seller, selling agent and on occasion your lender. Appointing a law firm for your conveyancing in Rochdale should not be taken lightly as your conveyancer is your adviser, and is the ONLY person in the legal process whose role it is to act in your best interests and to keep you safe.

Every so often a third party with a vested interest may attempt to persuade you that it is in your interests to do things their way. As an example, the selling agent may claim to be helping by claiming that your lawyer is dragging his heels. Or your mortgage broker may tell you to do something that is against your lawyers recommendation. You should always trust your lawyer above all other parties in the home moving process.

Is it necessary during the course of the conveyancing process to visit the offices of the solicitor to sign the mortgage deed? If so, I will instruct a firm who offer conveyancing in Rochdale so that I can pop in to their offices if necessary.

Nowadays approved lawyers for banks carry out the vast majority of work via the post, e-mail or over phone calls. This means that they can undertake the conveyancing transaction regardless of where you live in England or Wales. That being said you should see if you can still book an appointment to visit conveyancing lawyer if needed.

Is it the case that all Rochdale conveyancing solicitors on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel are overseen by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority?

As a firm of solicitors, in order to be on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel they would need to be regulated by the SRA. Some lenders do permit licenced conveyancers on their panel and in such a situation the practice would be regulated by the CLC.

My wife and I have arranged the release of further funds on our mortgage from HSBC as we intend to conduct renovations to our property in Rochdale. Are we obliged to choose a bricks and mortar Rochdale solicitor on the HSBC conveyancing panel to deal with the paperwork?

HSBC would not normally instruct firms on their approved list of lawyers to deal with the formalities. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the HSBC list.

I recently had an offer accepted on a house in Rochdale. My mortgage broker pressured me to appoint their lawyer. I paid an advanced payment of £225. A couple of days later, the conveyancer called me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?

You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Yorkshire BS panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.

Just acquired a detached house in Rochdale , how long will it take for the Land Registry to record my ownership? My Rochdale conveyancing solicitor has been very slow, so I want to check the land registry aspects are dealt with.

There is nothing unique about conveyancing in Rochdale registration formalities. As opposed to being determined by geographic area, timeframes can adjust depending on who lodges the application, whether there are errors and if the Land registry must send notices to any interested persons or bodies. At present roughly 80% of such applications are fully addressed in less than three weeks but some can be subject to longer delays. Registration occurs once the buyer is living at the property so an expedited registration is not always primary concern but where it is urgent that the the registration takes place urgently then you or your solicitor can communicate with the Registry to express the reasoning for the application to be prioritised.