Kent Reliance Solicitor Panel Sample Enquires to our Call Center from members of the public
I am in the process of selling my house and the EA has just telephoned to warn that the buyers are changing their law firm. The excuse is that Kent Reliance will only work with solicitors on their conveyancing panel. Why would a big named mortgage company only engage with specific solicitors?
Mortgage companies have always had panels of law firms they are willing to work with, but in the past few years big names such as Nationwide , have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have worked with them for more than 25 years.
Banks point to the increase in fraud as the reason 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 being contacted daily by practices 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.
My fiance and I are refinancing our maisonette with Kent Reliance. We have a son approaching twenty who lives with us. The solicitor on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel has asked us to disclose anyone over the age of 17 other than ourselves who lives in the flat. Our lawyer has now e-mailed a document for our son to sign, waiving any legal rights in the event that the flat is forfeited by the lender. I have a couple of concerns (1) Is this form unique to the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel as he never had to sign this form when we remortgaged 5 years ago (2) Does our son by signing this giving up his rights to inherit the property?
First, rest assured that your Kent Reliance conveyancing panel solicitor is doing the right thing as it is established procedure for any occupier who is aged 17 or over to sign the necessary Consent Form, which is purely to state that any rights he has in the property are postponed and secondary to Kent Reliance .This is solely used to protect the Kent Reliance if the property were re-possessed so that in such circumstances, your son would be legally obliged to leave.
It does not impact your son’s right to inherit the apartment. Please note that if your son were to inherit and the mortgage in favour of Kent Reliance had not been discharged, he would be liable to take over the loan or pay it off, but other than that, there is nothing stopping him from keeping the property in accordance with your will or the rules of intestacy.
I note that you have a post code search directory identifying firms on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel. Do firms pay you a referral fee if I retain them for my conveyancing?
We are a listing service only for law firms wishing to communicate if they are on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel or other lender panels. We do not charge referral fees to the any conveyancer that you subsequently appoint.
I am attempting to get my former partner taken off the mortgage deeds. Can Kent Reliance really tell me which solicitor I can or can not instruct?
You can use any solicitor you like but Kent Reliance then has the right to appoint a different solicitor to act for them at your expense. It might be more cost effective and quicker to instruct a lawyer who is on the Kent Reliance solicitors panel
I am due to exchange contracts on my apartment. I had a double glazing fitted in month 7 but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My purchaser’s mortgage company, Kent Reliance are being problematic. The solicitor who is on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel is recommending indemnity insurance as a solution but Kent Reliance are insisting on a building regulation certificate. Why do Kent Reliance have a conveyancing panel of they don’t accept advice from them?
It is probably the case that Kent Reliance have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Kent Reliance may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing correctly and safely installed. It merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.
After shopping around on the internet I have found a solicitor having checked that they are on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?
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I've read lots of mortgage guides,I note that it is considered advisable to get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my solicitor - who is on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. Is that normal?
Kent Reliance will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Kent Reliance 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 Kent Reliance you could contact your them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors.
My brother and I are acquiring a flat in Hendon. Conveyancing solicitors in Hendon will soon beretained. My brother-in-lawsuggested that we enquire that the solicitor in Hendon is on the Kent Reliance approved list of lawyers. Is this really necessary?
A limited percentage of Hendon conveyancing practices are on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel. 5 people a month use our search tool to search for a Hendon conveyancing firm on the on the Kent Reliance panel.
