The Fetcham conveyancing lawyers that just started acting on my purchase in Fetcham have suddenly closed. They were on acting for me because I had to have a firm on the Lloyds conveyancing panel and my previous Fetcham lawyer was not. I issued them a cheque for two hundred pounds in advance. What are my options?

Assuming that you have an Estate Agent in the equation then inform them immediately so that they advise the vendors that there may be a slight delay due to reasons beyond your control. Hopefully they will be sympathetic and urge their lawyer to send a new set of papers to your new solicitors. You will need to appoint new lawyers that are on the Lloyds conveyancing panel and notify the lender. If you have paid over any money, it will hopefully be held by the SRA as money in an intervened firm's bank accounts is transferred to the SRA. Then, the SRA or the intervention agent looks at the intervened firm's accounts to work out who the money belongs to. To claim your money you will need to contact the SRA. If the SRA cannot return money you are owed from the firm's bank accounts, or if they can only return part of the money, you can apply to the Compensation Fund for a grant. Your new lawyers may be able to assist.

Is it the case that all Fetcham solicitors on the Co-operative conveyancing panel are overseen by the SRA?

As solicitors, in order to be on the Co-operative approved list of solicitors they would need to be governed by the SRA. Many mortgage companies do permit licenced conveyancers on their panel and in such a situation the firms would be governed by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.

I am purchasing a property in Fetcham. One unusual aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Solicitors conducting should look into this right? Will my lender Barclays be concerned?

Given that you are obtaining a mortgage with Barclays your lawyer must follow the conveyancing instructions contained in Section two of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Barclays. The CML Handbook stipulates minimum provisions for solar panel roof-space leases, and property lawyers are required to report to Barclays where a lease does not satisfy these provisions. The requirements relate to the installation of panels on properties nationwide and is not isolated to Fetcham.

I'm spending time looking at houses in Fetcham and I am about to put in an offer. Is it too early to have a solicitor in place? I am planning to take a home loan with Lloyds.

It would be prudent to commence your search sooner rather than later. After you have chosen your lawyer and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and pass their contact information on to the estate agent. As you are obtaining a mortgage with Lloyds, make sure you remember to check that your lawyer is on the Lloyds conveyancing panel.

My colleague suggested that if I am buying in Fetcham I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?

A search of this type is sometimes quoted for as part of the standard Fetcham conveyancing searches. It is not a small report of about 40 pages, listing and detailing important information about Fetcham around the property and the people living there. It includes an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the local Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the demographics of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average House Prices, Crime statistics, Local Education with plans and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful information regarding Fetcham.

Due to exchange soon on a ground floor flat in Fetcham. Conveyancing lawyers assured me that they will have a report out to me tomorrow. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?

Your report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in Fetcham should include some of the following:

Who has the liability to repair and maintain the building. It is essential that you know who is liable for the repair and maintenance of all parts of the block and communal areas if lease provides for a sinking account for major repairs? Your lawyers should enable you to have an understanding of the insurance requirements What the implications are if you breach a clause of your lease?

I am the registered owner of a 1 bedroom flat in Fetcham, conveyancing was carried out half a dozen years ago. How much will my lease extension cost? Corresponding flats in Fetcham with an extended lease are worth £211,000. The ground rent is £50 invoiced every year. The lease ends on 21st October 2094

With just 68 years remaining on your lease the likely cost is going to range between £9,500 and £11,000 as well as professional fees.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to advice on the actual costs without more comprehensive due diligence. You should not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt other issues that need to be taken into account and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not take any other action placing reliance on this information before getting professional advice.

Why can't I complete my conveyancing in Fetcham on Easter Monday?

Because on completion the money will be transferred electronically between the banks of the buyer and seller's lawyer and at present this can only take place on a working day. It is not possible to complete on a weekend either.