Examples of recent questions relating to the Together Personal Finance Solicitor Panel from members of the public
I am in the process of selling my house and the EA has just called to say that the purchasers are swapping conveyancer. The excuse is that Together Personal Finance will only deal with property lawyers on their conveyancing panel. Why would a major mortgage company only engage with specific lawyers?
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 Lloyds Banking Group, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have worked with them for more than 15 years.
Lenders blame a rise 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 hearing daily from firms 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.
Expecting to complete my purchase next Monday. I have now been asked to send a copy of my building insurance schedule by my solicitor as he says that he has to check this in has capacity as lawyer for Together Personal Finance. What does the insurance need to cover?
Any lawyer on the Together Personal Finance conveyancing panel would need to check that the following risks are covered fire; lightning; aircraft; explosion; earthquake; storm; flood; escape of water or oil; riot; malicious damage; theft or attempted theft; falling trees and branches and aerials; subsidence; heave;landslip;collision;accidental damage to underground services;professional fees, demolition and site clearance costs; and public liability to anyone else. There are some other issues such as the level of excess that are set out in Together Personal Finance’s Part 2 requirements of the CML Handbook (last updated on Together Personal Finance). Being on the Together Personal Finance conveyancing panel your lawyer is expect to follow these requirements.
I have been looking for online conveyancing estimates. Can I be sure that all the firms that are listed on your site are on the Together Personal Finance conveyancing panel?
The law firms listed on our site 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.
My house is up for sale and I have a buyer. Does my solicitor have to be on the Together Personal Finance conveyancing panel in order to deal with redeeming my mortgage?
Ordinarily, even if your lawyer is not on the Together Personal Finance conveyancing panel they can still act for you on your sale. it might be that the lender will not release the original deeds (if applicable and increasingly irrelevant) until after the mortgage is paid off. You should speak to your lawyer directly before you start the process though to ensure that there is no problem as lenders are changing their requirements fairly frequently at the moment.
We have agreed a price on a house I spoke to a lawyer recommended by my brother and he advised retaining a property lawyers approved by Together Personal Finance. The estate agent recommended two local firms so I asked Together Personal Finance if the 2 suggested solicitors are approved, which they are not. Together Personal Finance suggested that either firm can fill out the appropriate forms to become approved. Do I (1) save myself the aggravation and use one of Together Personal Finance 's conveyancing panel solicitors (2) Use the local solicitor and accept there may be delays etc as they go through the approval process.
Enquire of Together Personal Finance for conveyancing panel firms in your area. Most banks have lawyers on their panel throughout the UK. You can also use our search tool at the top of this page to search for a lawyer on the Together Personal Finance conveyancing panel based on location. If you particularly like the sound of one of the local lawyers that you have spoken to ask them if they would go onto Together Personal Finance conveyancing panel as it may only take about 2-3 weeks. As long as they meet Together Personal Finance’s requirements it can be a very simple job for the solicitor. Other stuff will be going on in parallel (as you are at an early stage) so it may not delay matters.
Intending to buy a flat with a mortgage with Together Personal Finance. I have received an online quote from a licensed conveyancer, which states: "There will be no charge for dealing with the Lender if you are obtaining a mortgage". I take this to mean that there will be no additional fee if the solicitor is on the Together Personal Finance conveyancing panel. I wanted to make sure it means there will be no additional fees for dealing with the mortgage.
They are simply saying that the cost for acting for the lender is included in the fee being quoted. It is worth you checking that they are on the Together Personal Finance conveyancing panel
After shopping around on the internet I have found a solicitor having made sure that they are on the Together Personal Finance 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 they all recommend that you should get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my solicitor - who is on the Together Personal Finance conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. is that correct?
Together Personal Finance will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Together Personal Finance 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 Together Personal Finance you could contact your them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors.