Remortgaging Solicitor Wants to do Searches

MoneySaver8011

Hello

I bought my house less than 2 years ago. Of course all searches were done back then and came back with no problems.

Recently I am looking to remortgage and have chosen Leek United Building Society.

My chosen solicitor for the conveyancing quoted £300 for all of their fees and I signed the documents to go ahead. Recently the solicitor requested payment for £330 for the searches. This is not for their fee it is for searches only. After a quick google the general census seems to be that searches are normally not needed for a remortgage unless the lender specifically wants them. I phoned Leek United and the call centre staff stated they do not need searches performed.

I phoned my solicitor and they said searches are only valid for less than 3 months so my searches from 2 years ago are now expired. They also said they redo the searches for every remortgage case they have.

Can somebody please tell me who is right? Are the solicitors right that searches are needed. Or is Google and the lender right that for remortgage searches are not needed.

£330 at stake here so your advice is much appreciated.

Thank you

Thrugelmir

Did the building society choose the conveyancer? 

MoneySaver8011

Thrugelmir said:

Did the building society choose the conveyancer? 

No I chose them. They are a reputable company. Established for quite a while based in a city centre.

Rolandtheroadie

What searches? 
 I was going to use a solicitor of my own choosing for my last remortgage, but they wanted additional fees for searches relating to mine workings (ex mining village). Went with Nationwides solicitors instead and paid basic fees instead of what my own solicitor wanted. 

MoneySaver8011

I am waiting the solicitors response about which searches.
From your response though it sounds like searches are not needed for a remortgage. I am so confused as to why my solicitor wants to do them. Can anybody who knows the game explain ?

Thrugelmir

Might well be their internal policy having previously encountered an issue. Switch to another solicitor on the lenders own panel. 

RedFraggle

Seeing as you already own the property it would seem somewhat pointless. If an adverse search came back what exactly are they suggesting you do? 

davidmcn

RedFraggle said:

Seeing as you already own the property it would seem somewhat pointless. If an adverse search came back what exactly are they suggesting you do? 

Any searches (and the whole of the legal work) are for the benefit of the (new) lender, not the OP, so if there were something adverse then the lender could opt not to lend.

Whether searches (and what sort of searches) are needed depends on the building society's solicitors instructions, and we haven't seen those. Often remortgage procedures are more streamlined, as there is less risk involved generally, and the lenders which send you through their "free legals" conveyancers tend not to bother with searches (or just get insurance instead).

Unfortunately because so much work goes to the conveyancing factories, "ordinary" solicitors have tended to lose sight of what is needed for remortgages and may well be assuming it's identical to the full due diligence they'd do for a purchase. The solicitors are right in saying that searches have a shelf life - you wouldn't buy a place relying on two year old searches.