I am in a contract race with another prospective purchaser for a property in Caddington. What can I do to speed up the legal process?

In a situation where the seller is applying pressure to complete it is advisable to make sure that your conveyancer is familiar with the area as they will benefit local relationships and knowledge. It is possible that they may have transacted otherhomes in the same street. Therefore consider using a Caddington conveyancing solicitor. In addition, make sure that the lawyer is on the member panel. It is estimated that nearly one in five of Caddington conveyancing deals are held up or derailed after finding out that a buyer’s solicitor was not on their banks panel. This can often result in the legal transfer of property being delayed by an average of three weeks. It is believed that this issue affects approximately 100,000 home moves every year. Almost all Caddington conveyancing practices can not act for certain lenders so do check at the outset.

We wanted to use a property lawyer in Caddington for our house move. Our financial adviser informed us that our mortgage lenders HSBC Bank won't deal with them. Why is this not regarded as unduly restrictive?

Lenders in the main restrict either the type or the amount of conveyancing practices on their member panel. Typical examples of such restriction(s) being that a law practice must not be a sole practitioner. As well as restricting the type of firm, a few banks have limited the number of solicitor practices they use to represent them. Be aware that HSBC Bank have no responsibility for the quality of advice provided by any member of HSBC Bank Conveyancer Panel. Mortgage fraud was a key driver in the rationalisation of solicitor panels since 2008 even though there remains mixed views regarding the extent of solicitor involvement in some of that fraud. Figures from the Land Registry reveal that thousands of law firms, including some in or near Caddington only conduct very few conveyances a year.

I am helping my aunt sell her house in Caddington. Does the conveyancer order an EPC or it is for me to coordinate?

After the demise of Home Packs, energy performance certificates became a compulsory part of moving property. An EPC must be commissioned prior to the property being advertised. It is not something that conveyancers ordinarily organise. Where you are instructing a Caddington conveyancing practitioner they may be able to arrange energy performance certificates given their contacts with long established local accredited person

Is it the case that all Caddington solicitors on the Santander conveyancing panel are regulated by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority?

As a firm of solicitors, in order to be on the Santander approved list of solicitors they would need to be governed by the SRA. Many mortgage companies do allow licenced conveyancers on their panel in which case such organisation would be governed by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.

I am due to exchange contracts on my apartment. I had a double glazing fitted in January 2006, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My buyer's mortgage company, Coventry BS are being a right pain. The Caddington solicitor who is on the Coventry BS conveyancing panel is happy to accept ‘lack of building regulation’ insurance but Coventry BS are insisting on a building regulation certificate. Why do Coventry BS have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?

It is probably the case that Coventry BS have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Coventry BS may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing was correctly and safely installed. The indemnity insurance merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.

I have been on the look out for a flat up to £305k and identified one close by in Caddington I like with a park and railway links in the vicinity, the downside is that it's only got 61 years on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Caddington in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error purchasing a lease with such few years left?

Should you require a mortgage that many years will likely be a potential deal breaker. Reduce the offer by the expected lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current owner has owned the premises for at least twenty four months you may ask them to start the process of the extension and pass it to you. You can add 90 years to the current lease term with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing lawyer concerning this.

Can you offer any advice when it comes to appointing a Caddington conveyancing practice to deal with our lease extension?

If you are instructing a property lawyer for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Caddington conveyancing firm) it is imperative that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We advise that you talk with two or three firms including non Caddington conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. The following questions might be of use:

What are the charges for lease extension work? If the firm is not ALEP accredited then what is the reason?

Caddington Leasehold Conveyancing - Sample of Queries before Purchasing

Who takes charge for maintaining and repairing the building? Does the lease include onerous restrictions? What is the length of the lease?