We had chosen conveyancers locally in Chalfont St Giles on the Santander solicitor approved list. They are now charging me a separate sum for dealing with the Santander mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee specified by Santander?

Provided it is contained in their Terms of Engagement or Quote then yes your lawyer can levy a fee for this. The charge is not dictated by Santander but by your Chalfont St Giles solicitor. Some firms on the Santander panel will levy ’dealing with mortgage’ fee and others do not.

Planning on purchasing a apartment in Chalfont St Giles. I have received an online quote from a licenced conveyancer, which states: "There will be no charge for dealing with the Building Society if you are obtaining a mortgage". I take this to mean that there will be no additional fee if the solicitor is on the TSB conveyancing panel. I wanted to make sure it means there will be no additional fees for dealing with the mortgage.

They are simply saying that the cost for acting for the lender is included in the fee being quoted. It is worth you checking that the Chalfont St Giles conveyancing practitioner is on the TSB conveyancing panel.

At last I have had an offer on a maisonette in Chalfont St Giles accepted, but there is a chain. The owners have offered on a property, but it’s not been accepted yet, and have viewings of other apartments in the pipeline. I have chosen a bricks and mortar conveyancing solicitor in Chalfont St Giles. What do I do now? At what point do I apply for the mortgage with Nottingham?

It is usual to have anxieties where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to incur costs prematurely (mortgage application is approx one thousand pounds, then survey, Chalfont St Giles conveyancing search costs, etc). The first thing to do is ensure that your lawyer is on the Nottingham conveyancing panel. Regarding the next phase this very much dictated by the specifics of your transaction, motivation for this property and on the state of the market. In a hot market some home buyers would apply for a home loan with Nottingham and arrange for the valuation and only if it was satisfactory would they pay their lawyer to press on with searches.

My wife and I purchased a 4 bedroom Victorian property in Chalfont St Giles. Conveyancing lawyer represented me and The Mortgage Works. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and I saw a couple of entries: one for freehold, the second leasehold with the exact same address. If a house is not a freehold shouldn't I have been informed?

You need to assess 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 proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Chalfont St Giles and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they mortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with lenders. You can also enquire as to the situation with the conveyancing lawyer who conducted the purchase.

Am I right to be suspicious that 3rd parties that I am dealing with are encouraging me to use a web based conveyancing firm as opposed to a High Street Chalfont St Giles conveyancing practice?

As with many professional services, often recommendations from relatives can be most helpful. Yet there are many people with a vested interest in a conveyancing matter; estate agents, financial adviser and mortgage companies may put forward lawyers to instruct. Sometimes these lawyers might be known to one of the organisations as experts in their field, but sometimes there may be a commercial relationship behind the recommendation. You are at liberty to appoint your own conveyancer. However, bear in mind that many lenders specify a panel list of solicitors you must use for the lender aspect of your transaction.

I am looking at a two apartments in Chalfont St Giles which have approximately 50 years unexpired on the leases. Will this present a problem?

There are plenty of short leases in Chalfont St Giles. The lease is a right to use the property for a period of time. As a lease shortens the value of the lease deteriorates and results in it becoming more expensive to acquire a lease extension. This is why it is advisable to extend the lease term. It is often difficulties arise selling premises with a short lease as mortgage lenders may be unwilling to lend money on properties of this type. Lease extension can be a difficult process. We advise that you seek professional help from a solicitor and surveyor with experience in this field.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Chalfont St Giles - Examples of Questions you should consider Prior to Purchasing

What restrictions are contained in the Chalfont St Giles Lease? Generally speaking the cost for major works tend not to be included within maintenance charges, albeit that some managing agents in Chalfont St Giles require leasehold owners to pay into a reserve fund and this is used to offset against larger works. The prefered form of lease arrangement is where the freehold interest is owned by the leaseholders. In this scenario the leaseholders enjoy control and notwithstanding that a managing agent is usually retained where the building is bigger than a house conversion, the managing agent is directed by the tenants.

Much to my surprise my lawyer in Chalfont St Giles has informed me that he requires personal identification documents saying that this forms part of his requirements as a solicitor on the bank Conveyancing panel. This is news to me - can I refuse?

Due to Money Laundering Regulations your conveyancing lawyer is duty bound to confirm positively your identification when entering into a business relationship with you. It is a criminal offence if your lawyer not do this. If you do not provide ID early in the transaction the solicitor must refuse to act for you. It’s unlikely a lawyer will turn you away if you come to the first meeting without relevant ID but you will have to produce it at some point so you might as well bring it with you to the initial meeting so the lawyer can tick the ID verification box and start sorting out the conveyancing straight away. If you are getting a mortgage, your lawyer also has to check ID documents to satisfy the bank. This is not unique to conveyancing in Chalfont St Giles