FAQs : The St James Place Solicitor Panel from members of the public
I instructed a law firm to conveyancing on my house purchase 5 weeks ago having applied for a mortgage with St James Place. The firm reassured me that they are on St James Place conveyancing panel and advised me their panel number. St James Place then told me that their panel number was dormant and would need to be reactivated. What do I do from here? Should I appoint a new solicitor currently on the approved panel for St James Place?
You may be very frustrated with the lawyer but if it only go take a few more days they it may be worth waiting as, depending on how far progressed you are you may end up delaying the transaction by a number of weeks if you need to replace your solicitor You may wish to enlist the help of your broker to check with the St James Place as to how long they think it will take to get the firm to get back on the panel.
My partner and I changing mortgage lender for our maisonette with St James Place. We have a son approaching twenty who lives with us. The solicitor on the St James Place conveyancing panel requested us to identify any adults other than ourselves who reside at the property. Our lawyer has now e-mailed a document for our son to sign, giving up any 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 St James Place conveyancing panel as he never had to sign this form when we remortgaged 3 years ago (2) In signing this form is our son in any way compromising his right to inherit the property?
First, rest assured that your St James Place 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 St James Place .This is solely used to protect the St James Place 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 St James Place 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.
Do banks and building societies provide you with an approved list of solicitors? How do you know who is on the St James Place conveyancing panel?
The law firm practices themselves provide us confirmation that they are on the St James Place conveyancing panel as opposed to being supplied with a list from St James Place directly.
I am purchasing a garden flat and getting a mortgage with St James Place. Conveyancing solicitors are said to be ‘a necessary evil’ but can I do it myself?
Leaving aside the complexities and merits of DIY conveyancing you will have to appoint a solicitor on the St James Place conveyancing panel to look after their interests. Most people therefore find it easier to let the solicitor act for them and the lender. Furthermore there is minimal cost savings to made in you doing to conveyancing for yourself and another lawyer conducting the conveyancing for the lender. Please feel free to use the search tool to find a lawyer on the St James Place conveyancing panel in your location.
I was thinking of purchasing my friend’s property. Assuming we can agree a figure, what’s the best way to move forward? I plan to obtain a mortgage with St James Place. Is there anyway to cut out the solicitors to save us both money? My dad reckons back in the day he did a lot of it himself, just went into the land registry office and providing them with the info they needed himself
If you are getting a mortgage with St James Place involved you will need to appoint a solicitor on the St James Place conveyancing panel. We would not encourage you to both use the same solicitors' firm. There are clear conflict of interest issues and it's not going to make a huge difference to the speed of the overall process. So as not to hold things us you should pass on your solicitors details to St James Place. Feel free to use our search tool to look for a licensed conveyancer or solicitor on the St James Place conveyancing panel.
I am currently in the process of buying my council flat. I have a mortgage offer with St James Place. Conveyancing is not something I have any knowledge of. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should use one. Any advice?
It is not advisable proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event if you are getting a mortgage with St James Place you will need to appoint a solicitor on the St James Place conveyancing panel.
I recently had an offer accepted on an apartment. My financial adviser suggested a solicitor I paid an upfront payment of 150. 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.
