Perenna Conveyancing Panel Recently Asked Questions from members of the public
My partner and I are first time buyers. Within the 48 hours our property lawyer has sent a preliminary report and documents to look through with a view to exchanging next week. Perenna have this evening contacted us to inform me that they have now hit a problem as our conveyancer is not on their conveyancing panel. Please explain?
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 Quality Scheme. Your property lawyers should contact Perenna and see if they can apply for membership of the Perenna conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable Perenna will instruct their own lawyers to represent them. You don't have to instruct a firm on the Perenna conveyancing panel as you are at liberty to use your preferred lawyers, in which case it will likely add costs, and it will likely delay the transaction as you have another set of people involved.
My property lawyer is asking me for ID documents saying that this forms part of his retainer as a conveyancer on the Perenna Solicitor panel. This is news to me - can I refuse?
Due to Money Laundering Regulations your conveyancing lawyer is duty bound to confirm positively your identification when entering into a business relationship with you. It is a criminal offense if your lawyer not do this. If you do not provide ID early in the transaction the solicitor must refuse to act for you. It’s unlikely a lawyer will turn you away if you come to the first meeting without relevant ID but you will have to produce it at some point so you might as well bring it with you to the initial meeting so the lawyer can tick the ID verification box and start sorting out the conveyancing straight away. If you are getting a mortgage with Perenna your lawyer also has to check ID documents to satisfy Perenna
I note that you have a post code search directory identifying solicitors on the Perenna conveyancing panel. Do firms pay you a referral fee if I instruct them for my house purchase?
We are a listing service only for law firms wishing to communicate if they are on the Perenna conveyancing panel or other lender panels. We do not charge referral fees to the any conveyancer that you subsequently appoint.
I would like to get my ex-husband removed the mortgage deeds. Can Perenna really tell me which solicitor I can or can not instruct?
You can use any solicitor you like but Perenna 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 Perenna solicitors panel
We expect to receive a DIP from Perenna this week so we can work out what to offer on a property we like as otherwise we are dependent on web based calculators (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc).Do the Perenna recommend a solicitor on the Perenna conveyancing panel, or is it better to find our own lawyer
You will need to appoint solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the Perenna conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and the Perenna through the process.
After shopping around on the internet I have found a solicitor having checked that they are on the Perenna 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 Perenna conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. is that correct?
Perenna will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Perenna 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 Perenna you could contact your them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors.
My ex -wife’s name is on the Perenna 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 Perenna mortgage in order to sell?
As regards the Perenna 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 Perenna 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.