I am hoping to receive a mortgage offer from Santander. I would like to enlist the help of a Licensed Conveyancer in Boreham. Does the Santander Solicitor panel exclude Licensed Conveyancers?

The Santander approved solicitor list is, like many other lenders, represented by the Council or Mortgage Lenders or BSA, open to Licensed Conveyancers regulated by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.

My wife and I are buying a newly constructed flat in Boreham and my conveyancer is telling me that she has to the lender to reveal incentives from the builder. I am nearing the developer’s deadline to exchange contracts and my preference is not to prolong matters. Is my lawyer right?

You should not exchange unless you have been advised to do so by your conveyancer. A precondition to being on a mortgage company panel is to comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook provisions. The CML Conveyancing Handbook requires that your lawyer have the appropriate Disclosure of Incentive form completed by the developer and accepted by your lender.

We note that you have a search directory identifying solicitors on the Principality conveyancing panel. Do firms pay you a commission if I instruct them for our conveyancing in Boreham?

We are a listing service only for law firms wishing to communicate if they are on the Principality conveyancing panel or other lender panels. We do not charge referral fees to any conveyancer that you subsequently appoint for your conveyancing in Boreham.

Will our conveyancer be raising enquiries about flooding as part of the conveyancing in Boreham.

Flooding is a growing risk for conveyancers dealing with homes in Boreham. Plenty of people will acquire a property in Boreham, completely aware that at some time, it may be flooded. However, aside from the physical damage, if a house is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to obtain a mortgage, adequate insurance cover, or dispose of the premises. Steps can be carried out during the course of a property purchase to forewarn the purchaser.

Lawyers are not qualified to impart advice on flood risk, but there are a number of searches that can be undertaken by the purchaser or on a buyer’s behalf which should figure out the risks in Boreham. The conventional set of completed inquiry forms supplied to a purchaser’s solicitor (where the solicitors are adopting what is known as the Conveyancing Protocol) contains a usual inquiry of the vendor to find out if the property has ever been flooded. If flooding has previously occurred which is not disclosed by the owner, then a buyer may issue a legal claim for losses as a result of such an misleading answer. A purchaser’s solicitors will also order an environmental report. This should higlight if there is any known flood risk. If so, more detailed inquiries should be carried out.

My wife and I have a semi-detached Edwardian property in Boreham. Conveyancing lawyer represented me and Coventry Building Society. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and there are a couple of entries: the first freehold, another for leasehold under the exact same address. I'd like to know for sure, how can I find out??

You should review the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Boreham and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they buy they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with mortgage companies. You can also enquire as to the position with the conveyancing solicitor who completed the work.