FAQs : The Together Personal Finance Conveyancing Panel from members of the public
My fiance and I are buying a 2 bedroom apartment in Newcastle with a mortgage from Together Personal Finance. We would like to retain our solicitor but Together Personal Finance says he's not on their "panel". It seems we have little choice but to instruct one of the Together Personal Finance panel solicitors or keep our solicitor and pay for one of their panel ones to represent them. This seems very unfair; Can we not simply insist that Together Personal Finance use our lawyer?
Unfortunately,no. The mortgage offered to you is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the Together Personal Finance conveyancing panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. A further alternative is for your solicitors to apply to be on the conveyancing panel for Together Personal Finance
can you help? My conveyancer is advising me that he is legally obliged to apply for a Local Authority search as the firm are on the Together Personal Finance solicitor panel. Is this really necessary?
Unfortunately both you and your lawyer have little choice here. As you are taking a mortgage with Together Personal Finance your lawyer has to comply with their conditions as set out in their version of the CML Conveyancing Handbook. Your lawyer would have previously signed the Terms and Conditions of Together Personal Finance’s conveyancing panel appointment which obliges them to follow the CML Handbook requirements last updated Together Personal Finance. even if you were a cash buyer you would be ill advised not to carry out a local authority search.
I am searching for conveyancing quotes online. Can I be sure that all the practices that are identified on your directory are on the Together Personal Finance conveyancing panel?
The solicitor and licensed conveyancing practices on our directory have assured us via an online form that they are on the Together Personal Finance panel and agreed to advise us to take down their listing in the event of removal off of the Together Personal Finance panel. To date we have not been informed by either a lender or a member of the public that the data about a specific firm being on the Together Personal Finance conveyancing panel is not accurate.
I was scheduled to complete on my flat last Friday. My solicitor is on the Together Personal Finance conveyancing panel but has moved offices 8 weeks ago and had not informed Together Personal Finance of their new address. Together Personal Finance is now refusing to release my funds as the information from the solicitors isn't correct.
This is a rare situation indeed. Most lender Terms of Conveyancing Panel Appointment specifically oblige the solicitor to inform the lender of an address change. Your solicitor needs to treat this with the utmost urgency. Do speak with or register your concern with the senior partner (assuming he or she is not your direct lawyer). Most lenders would be reasonable in this situation and expedite the resolution of this issue. It may be prudent to enlist the help of your local Together Personal Finance branch or your mortgage broker to see if they can help.
How can we tell if a solicitor on the Together Personal Finance panel is any good?
obtaining recommendations is a sensible starting point. Before you go ahead check if they offer a no sale no fee offer. Also you often get what you pay for - a firm which quotes more will often provide a better service than one which is cheap as chips. We would always advocate that you speak with the lawyer conducting your transaction
I have today made my last payment due on mortgage with Together Personal Finance. I assume I don't need a solicitor on the Together Personal Finance panel to remove the mortgage at the Land Registry. Please confirm
If you have finished paying off your Together Personal Finance mortgage they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the Together Personal Finance mortgage from the register. Together Personal Finance,and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:
but are not moving to another property
where the Together Personal Finance has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
the Together Personal Finance has instructed the Land Registry to do so
The Land Registry will send you a letter confirming that your Together Personal Finance mortgage has been paid off.
I recently had an offer accepted on an apartment. My mortgage broker pressured me to appoint their lawyers I paid an upfront payment of 200. Soon after the conveyancers contacted me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the Together Personal Finance 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 Together Personal Finance 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.