Frequently asked questions relating to the Vida Homeloans Solicitor Panel from members of the public
On what basis would a law firm be removed from the Vida Homeloans solicitor panel?
According to a recent survey report by the solicitors regulator three quarters of law firms had been removed from a lender panel. The top reasons in order are :
- Low volume of transactions
- the lawyer is a sole practitioner
- as part of the HSBC panel reduction
- regulatory contact by SRA
- accidental removal. We are not aware of the specific or common criteria for removal by Vida Homeloans
My wife and I intend to remortgage our flat with Vida Homeloans. We have a son 18 who lives with us. The solicitor on the Vida Homeloans conveyancing panel has asked us to disclose 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 repossessed. I have two questions (1) Is this form unique to the Vida Homeloans conveyancing panel as he did not need to sign this form when we remortgaged 4 years ago (2) Does our son by signing this giving up his rights to inherit the property?
First, rest assured that your Vida Homeloans 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 Vida Homeloans .This is solely used to protect the Vida Homeloans 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 Vida Homeloans 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.
I am Googling for online conveyancing estimates. Can I be confident that all the firms that are listed on your directory are on the Vida Homeloans conveyancing panel?
The solicitor and licensed conveyancing practices on our directory have advised us that they are on the Vida Homeloans panel and agreed to advise us to take down their listing in the event of removal off of the Vida Homeloans 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 Vida Homeloans conveyancing panel is incorrect.
My aunt passed away six months ago and as sole heir and executor was left the property. The house had a relatively small loan left on it of around £8000. I want to transfer the title deeds into my name whilst I re-mortgage to Vida Homeloans , pay off the mortgage etc. Is this allowed?
If you intend to re-mortgage then Vida Homeloans will insist on your using a conveyancer on the Vida Homeloans conveyancing panel. Here is link to the Land Registry online guidance around what to do when a property owner dies. This will help you to understand the registration process behind changing the details re the registered title. in your case it would appear that you are effectively purchasing the property from the estate. Your Vida Homeloans conveyancing panel solicitor pays the new mortgage money into the estate, the estate pays off the old mortgage, the charge is released and you become the owner and the Vida Homeloans mortgage is registered as a charge at the Land Registry.
I have not been happy with the level or service received from my lawyer. Is there a Vida Homeloans conveyancing panel complaints department or do I complain directly to the law firm?
Complaining to Vida Homeloans about their conveyancing panel is unlikely to yield much of a response. All solicitors and conveyancer must have a complaints procedure. You can get information from the solicitor’s or conveyancer’s website or ask at their office. They must tell you about it if you ask.
The Legal Ombudsman will make sure that your complaint is properly dealt with by the solicitor. It can also advise you how to complain.
If a licensed conveyancer does not have a complaints procedure or will not tell you about it, contact the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC), which will make sure that your complaint is properly dealt with by the conveyancer. Please see below for more information.
I can not work out if my mortgage offer requires a lease extension . I have called into my local branch Vida Homeloans on various occasions and was told they are content with the situation and they would lend. My solicitor - who is on the Vida Homeloans conveyancing panel- telephoned and was told not they would not lend in accordance with their CML Handbook minimum lease term requirements. I simply dont know who is right
As long as the conveyancer is on the Vida Homeloans panel she or he must comply with the CML Handbook requirements for Vida Homeloans. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that Vida Homeloans will go ahead your lawyer has no choice but to refrain from exchanging contract and committing you to the purchase. We would suggest that you ask Vida Homeloans to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the remaining number of years left on the lease.
I had an offer accepted on a house on the 20th January 2014, valuation was booked 3 days later, all came back fine. Property lawyer appointed, so all that was missing was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to Vida Homeloans and chasing them on my offer I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the Vida Homeloans conveyancing panel. Are Vida Homeloans entitled to hold back the Mortgage pending the lawyer being on the approved list?
A lender would not issue a mortgage until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Vida Homeloans to deal with your lawyers application to be on the Vida Homeloans conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitors will be accepted.
