Examples of recent questions relating to the Accord Buy to Let Solicitor Panel
from members of the public
My fiance and I are FTBs. Within the last couple of days our property lawyer has forwarded the sale agreement to sign with a detailed report with the expectation that exchange is imminent. Accord Buy to Let have this evening contacted us to inform me that there is now an issue as our lawyer is not on their approved list of lawyers. What do we do from here?
If you are buying a property with the assistance of a mortgage it is usual for the purchaser's solicitors 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 Accreditation Scheme.
Your property lawyers should contact Accord Buy to Let and see if they can apply for membership of the Accord Buy to Let conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable Accord Buy to Let will instruct their own lawyers to represent them. You are not legally obliged to appoint a law firm on the Accord Buy to Let conveyancing panel as you are at liberty to use your preferred lawyers, in which case your legal fees may increase, and it will likely delay the transaction as you have another set of people involved.
Our nephew is purchasing a new build apartment with a mortgage from Accord Buy to Let. His lawyer has advised him of a delay in completing the ‘Disclosure of Incentive Form’. This document is news to me - what is it and who needs sight of it?
The document is intended to provide information to the main parties involved in the purchase. Therefore, it will be provided to your son’s lawyer who should be on the Accord Buy to Let conveyancing panel as a standard part of the process, and to the valuer when asked.
The Developer will be required to start the process by downloading the form and completing it.
The form will therefore need to be available for the valuer at the time of his or her site visit. The form should be sent to the Accord Buy to Let conveyancing panel solicitor as early as possible, in order to avoid any last minute delays, and no later than at exchange of contracts.
I need to find a Accord Buy to Let panel solicitor in Belfast. Could you help me?
Unfortunately it’s not apparent why you need a Accord Buy to Let panel solicitor but in any event, if you can not find one on our search tool you will need to speak directly to Accord Buy to Let to find out which solicitors in Accord Buy to Let are on their panel. If you do find such a firm not listed please direct them to our site to list. At a fee of one pound per month it is not expensive to register on the site
I am selling my house. Does my solicitor have to be on the Accord Buy to Let conveyancing panel in order to deal with paying off my mortgage?
Ordinarily, even if your lawyer is not on the Accord Buy to Let conveyancing panel they can still act for you on your sale. it might be that the lender will not release the original deeds (if applicable and increasingly irrelevant) until after the mortgage is paid off. You should speak to your lawyer directly before you start the process though to ensure that there is no problem as lenders are changing their requirements fairly frequently at the moment.
Can I be sure that the solicitor on the Accord Buy to Let panel is any good?
Getting recommendations is a sensible starting point. 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 lawyer carrying out your transaction
We were going to get a DIP from Accord Buy to Let this week so we can work out what to offer on a property we like as otherwise we only have online calculators to go by (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc).Do the Accord Buy to Let recommend a solicitor on the Accord Buy to Let conveyancing panel, or is it better to go independently
You will need to appoint solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the Accord Buy to Let conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and the Accord Buy to Let through the process.
I have instructed a lawyer having checked that they are on the Accord Buy to Let conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?
Or
Having read lots of mortgage guides,I note that they all recommend that you should get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my solicitor - who is on the Accord Buy to Let conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. is that correct?
Accord Buy to Let will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Accord Buy to Let will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey.
You may wish to consider appointing your own surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller.
or
Your lawyer will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Accord Buy to Let you could contact your them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors.
