Examples of recent questions relating to the Chelsea Building Society Conveyancing Panel from members of the public
My financial adviser has informed me that I have to pay Chelsea Building Society fees if I use my own solicitor. How good are the Chelsea Building Society conveyancing panel solicitors? I dont care which law firm I use as long as they're good and reasonably priced. Would you recommend a specific law firm on the Chelsea Building Society panel?
Chelsea Building Society’s conveyancing panel is substantial so it would be advisable to check with the firms you are getting quotes from whether they are on it. You can search by postcode on the search tool on this site to find solicitors that Chelsea Building Society will allow to act for them.
Much to my surprise my solicitor has requested from me personal identification documents saying that this is part of his requirements as a conveyancer on the Chelsea Building Society Solicitor panel. Can this be correct?
Anti-terror and anti-money-laundering rules require solicitors and licensed conveyancers to verify the identity of the person or body they are dealing with before they can accept their conveyancing business. The Client Care letter that you need to sign will no doubt confirm this. Your lawyer is right that Chelsea Building Society also require certain documents to be viewed. If a you refuse to provide ID verification documents, your conveyancer would not be able to accept instructions from you. Your lawyer also has obligations to obtain certain documents in accordance with Chelsea Building Society CML Handbook requirements last updated on Chelsea Building Society
Whilst your website is a good idea there are many lawyers listed near Chelsea on the Chelsea Building Society conveyancing panel. Can you recommend a specific firm on the conveyancing panel for Chelsea Building Society ?
We do not recommend specific firms as the right firm for you depends on where your priorities lie. For example you may require a local firm with local knowledge or you might be looking for the low cost conveyancing. We recommend that you speak to 3 or 4 lawyers listed before you make your choice..
What happens if my lawyer’s firm is removed from the Chelsea Building Society Solicitor panel prior to the completion date?
The first thing to point out is that, this is a very rare occurrence. In most cases even where a law firm is removed off of a panel the lender would allow the completion to go ahead as the lender would appreciate the difficulties that they would place you in if you have ti instruct a new solicitor days before completion. In a worst case scenario where the lender insists that you instruct a new firm then it is possible for a very good lawyer to expedite the conveyancing albeit that you may pay a significant premium for this. The analogous situation is where a buyer instructs a lawyer, exchanges contracts and the law firm is shut down by the regulator such as the SRA. Again, in this situation you can find lawyers who can troubleshoot their way to bring the conveyancing to a satisfactory conclusion - albeit at a cost.
We are getting a further advance on our mortgage from Chelsea Building Society as we wish to carry out alterations or improvements our home. Do we need to appoint a solicitor on the Chelsea Building Society conveyancing panel to deal with the paperwork?
Chelsea Building Society would not normally appoint firms on their approved list of lawyers to deal with such a matter. If they did require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Chelsea Building Society panel
After shopping around on the internet I have found a solicitor having checked that they are on the Chelsea Building Society conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?
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Having digested plenty of house buying,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 Chelsea Building Society conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. Is that normal?
Chelsea Building Society will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Chelsea Building Society 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.
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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 Chelsea Building Society you could contact your them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors.
My ex -wife’s name is on the Chelsea Building Society mortgage of my property but not on the land registry. The apartment was transferred to me on our divorce many years ago by way of a sealed court order. Does my ex still have a say on the sale even though the land registry showing the property in my name alone? Will I be required to take her name of the Chelsea Building Society mortgage in order to sell?
In terms of the Chelsea Building Society mortgage, it is unusual that your ex-wife’s name remains on the mortgage but not on the title. It is conceivable that this is an oversight on the part of your conveyancers to ensure that her name was removed or even an administrative error on the part of Chelsea Building Society in failing to update their data. In any event, it should cause difficulty providing her name no longer appears on the Land Registry title and you have a court order ordering that the property is transferred to you.