St James Place Solicitor Panel Sample Enquires to our Call Center from members of the public
I was advised recently by my mortgage broker that my property lawyer is not on the St James Place Conveyancing panel. How can I be certain that this is indeed the case?
The best course of action for you to take is to contact your lawyer directly. It is reasonable to expect your lawyer to advise you what has happened. If they are not on the panel they could put your in touch with solicitors on the conveyancing panel for St James Place.
I am buying a newly built flat and my conveyancer is informing me that she is duty bound to disclose incentives from the seller as her firm is on the St James Place conveyancing panel. The Estate Agents are hassling me to sign contracts and I would rather not delay the conveyancing. Is my lawyer right?
You should not exchange unless you have advised to do so by your lawyer. A precondition to being on the St James Place approved panel is to comply with the CML Handbook requirements (last updated for this lender on St James Place). The CML Conveyancing Handbook requires that your lawyer have the appropriate Disclosure of Incentive form completed by the developer and accepted by your lender.
Your search tool is useful but there are many lawyers listed near Manchester on the St James Place conveyancing panel. Can you recommend a specific firm on the conveyancing panel for St James Place ?
We are not in the business of recommending one firm above another 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..
We're in Birmingham, First timers purchasing with a mortgage (lender is St James Place , but our lawyer is on the St James Place conveyancing panel). How long should the conveyancing process take?
The fact that your lawyer is on the St James Place conveyancing panel is a help. It would almost certainly delay matters if they were not. However, no conveyancer should guarantee a time-frame for your conveyancing due to third parties outside of our control such as delays caused by lenders,conveyancing search providers or by the other side’s solicitors. The time taken is often determined by the number of parties in a chain
I am buying a property where the roof has a solar panel. St James Place have issued a mortgage offer so presumably this is not a concern to them. Why is my solicitor raising questions about the panel?
Given that you are obtaining a mortgage with St James Place your lawyer must to check the St James Place conveyancing instructions contained in the Part of CML Handbook for St James Place . The CML Handbook contains minimum requirements for solar panel roof-space leases, and solicitors are required to report to St James Place where a lease does not meet these requirements. The requirements relate to the installation of panels on properties in England and Wales. The CML are developing guidance for Northern Ireland and Scotland.
After much negotiation I have agreed a price on an apartment. My financial adviser recommended their conveyancers I paid an upfront payment of 225. Soon after the conveyancers contacted me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the St James Place conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?
You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the St James Place panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.
My offer on house has been accepted, but there is a chain. The vendors have offered on somewhere, but not been accepted yet, and have viewings of other properties in the pipeline. My conveyancing solicitor has been instructed. What should be my next step? At what point should I appy for the mortgage with St James Place?
It is usual to have concerns where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to be too out of pocket too early (mortgage application is approx £1k, then survey/valuation, conveyancing search costs, etc). First you should check that your solicitor is on the St James Place conveyancing panel. As to the next stages this very much depends on the circumstances of your case, desire for this property and on the state of the market. In a hot mortgage some buyers would pally for the mortgage with St James Place and pay for the valuation and only if it comes back ok would they pay their solicitor to press on with searches.