Examples of recent questions relating to the Harpenden Building Society Conveyancing Panel from members of the public
I am selling my house and the estate agent has just telephoned to advise that the buyers are switching solicitor. The excuse is that Harpenden Building Society will only work with property lawyers on their conveyancing panel. On what basis would a major mortgage company only engage with specific solicitors?
Lenders have always had an approved set 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.
Lenders point to the increase in fraud by way of justification for the cull – criteria have been tightened and a smaller panel should be 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, or have other concerns about them. Some do not even realise they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyer’s case. Your purchasers are unlikely to have any sway in the decision.
Can you clarify something for me?. My lawyer is not to blame but, the conveyancing for my house purchase has been going on for months. The Local Authority Search from Harpenden Building Society was date stamped random date and we have agreed a date for me to move into the property on 10 days inc Day of week eg. Mon. My lawyer informs me that as she is on the Harpenden Building Society conveyancing panel she needs to redo the searches as they are now out of date.
A precondition to being on the Harpenden Building Society approved panel is to comply with the CML Handbook Part 2 obligations (last updated for this lender on Harpenden Building Society)which specifies that a local authority search be not more than half a year old. You should nevertheless ask your lawyer to check whether something called ‘search validation’ indemnity insurance is acceptable to Harpenden Building Society.
Your search tool is useful but there are many lawyers listed near Hackney on the Harpenden Building Society conveyancing panel. It would be a lot more helpful if you could recommend a specific firm on the Harpenden Building Society approved panel?
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. Before you appoint your lawyer we advise you to speak to two or three of the firms listed to gain comfort as to which one is right for you..
I am selling my house. Does my solicitor have to be on the Harpenden Building Society conveyancing panel in order to deal with redeeming my mortgage?
Ordinarily, even if your lawyer is not on the Harpenden Building Society 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.
We are getting a further advance on our mortgage from Harpenden Building Society as we wish to carry out a loft conversion to our home. Do we need to appoint a solicitor on the Harpenden Building Society conveyancing panel to deal with the legals?
Harpenden Building Society do not ordinarily instruct a member of their conveyancing panel 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 Harpenden Building Society panel
I am buying a property where the roof has a solar panel. Solicitors conducting should look into this right? Will my lender Harpenden Building Society be concerned
Given that your lender is Harpenden Building Society your lawyer must to check the Harpenden Building Society conveyancing instructions contained in the Part of CML Handbook for Harpenden Building Society . The CML Handbook contains minimum requirements for solar panel roof-space leases, and solicitors are required to report to Harpenden Building Society where a lease does not meet these requirements. The requirements relate to the installation of panels on properties in England and Wales. Requirements for Scotland are due in the near future.
After shopping around on the internet I have found a solicitor having checked that they are on the Harpenden 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 Harpenden Building Society conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. is that correct?
Harpenden Building Society will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Harpenden 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 Harpenden Building Society you could contact your them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors.