Is it correct that all Blaby CQS (Conveyancing Quality Scheme) solicitors are on the conveyancing panel?

It is true that some lenders now utilise CQS as the starting point for Panel membership such as HSBC and Santander. CQS accreditation however gives no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. That being said,the Council of Mortgage Lenders have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for solicitor practices wishing to join their approved list of conveyancing solicitors.

I have a mortgage with for my property in Blaby. Conveyancing has been completed 12 months ago. In the event that I decide to rent out the flat and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a BTL mortgage or inform ?

You must advise prior to letting out your property as this is likely to be a breach of ’s mortgage conditions. In many cases banks or building societies will permit you to let out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact directly. You need not do this via a conveyancing panel firm.

I have instructed a Blaby having made sure that they are on the conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?

will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually 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. Your 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 your Blaby postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with , you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Blaby.

What will a local search reveal regarding the house I am purchasing in Blaby?

Blaby conveyancing often starts with the ordering local authority searches directly from your local Authority or through a personal search company such as Xpress Legal The local search plays a central role in many a Blaby conveyancing purchase; as long as you don’t want any unpleasant once you have moved into your new home. The search should provide information on, amongst other things, details on planning applications applicable to the property (whether granted or refused), building control history, any enforcement action, restrictions on permitted development, nearby road schemes, contaminated land and radon gas; in all a total of thirteen topic headings.

Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly picked up as part of conveyancing in Blaby?

Covenants that are restrictive in nature can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the legal transfer of property in Blaby. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’

I have been on the look out for a ground for flat up to £305k and found one close by in Blaby I like with a park and transport links in the vicinity, the downside is that it's only got 51 years unexpired on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Blaby suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error buying a lease with such few years left?

Should you require a home loan that many years will likely be problematic. Discount the price by the anticipated lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing owner has owned the property for a minimum of 2 years you can request that they start the process of the extension and pass it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing solicitor about this matter.

Should one remove a deceased person's name from the title register for a house in Blaby?

Where a Blaby property is jointly owned and one of the owners dies, the name will not automatically be removed from the Land Registry title. It is not necessary to amend the title as in the event of a sale you would just need to evidence why the co proprietor is missing from the transfer, usually this takes the form of the probate documents.

With the aim of making the sale conveyancing more straight forward for the sale of the property you can apply to have the deceased party removed from the title register by submitting an application to the land registry with proof of the death. There is no land registry fee payable.