Forgive me if this question is silly but I am wet behind the ears as FTB of a two bedroom flat in Finedon. Do I receive the keys to the premises on completion from my conveyancer? If so, I will appoint a High Street conveyancing solicitor in Finedon?

There is no need to visit the lawyers office on the day of completion. Conveyancing lawyers for you will electronically transfer the completion advance to the vendor’s lawyers, and once they have received this, you will be called to pick up the keys from the Estate Agents and start moving into the property. This tends to happen between 1 and 3pm.

After months of negotiation I have agreed a price on a house in Finedon. My financial adviser recommended their conveyancers. I paid an advanced payment of £200. Soon after, the lawyer contacted me embarrassingly acknowledging that they were not on the RBS conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?

You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the RBS panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.

I was told three weeks ago that my mortgage has been agreed to by Nationwide. Is it usual for Nationwide to only issue the offer once my solicitor in Finedon is approved on their conveyancing panel? Nationwide have asked my solicitor to see a copy of their PI Insurance.

Mortgage companies tend not to not issue an offer until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Nationwide to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the Nationwide conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.

I have a renovated Victorian property in Finedon. Conveyancing solicitor acted for me and Barclays . I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and there are a couple of entries: the first freehold, the second leasehold under the matching address. I thought I was buying a freehold how can I check?

You should 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 owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Finedon and other areas of 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 buyers. You can also check the situation with your conveyancing practitioner who conducted the work.

I am looking for a leasehold apartment up to £195,000 and found one close by in Finedon I like with a park and transport links nearby, the downside is that it only has 49 years unexpired on the lease. There is not much else in Finedon in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error purchasing a short lease?

If you need a mortgage the remaining unexpired lease term may be a potential deal breaker. Reduce the offer by the amount the lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the current proprietor has owned the premises for at least 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 lawyer concerning this.

I've found a house that appears to tick a lot of boxes, at a great price which is making it more attractive. I have subsequently discovered that it's a leasehold as opposed to freehold. I am assuming that there are particular concerns purchasing a house with a leasehold title in Finedon. Conveyancing lawyers have not yet been appointed. Will they explain the issues?

The majority of houses in Finedon are freehold rather than leasehold. In this scenario it’s worth having a local solicitor used to dealing with such properties who can assist with the conveyancing process. it is apparent that you are purchasing in Finedon in which case you should be shopping around for a Finedon conveyancing practitioner and be sure that they are used to transacting on leasehold houses. First you will need to check the number of years remaining. Being a tenant you will not be at liberty to do whatever you want to the property. The lease comes with conditions such as requiring the landlord’spermission to carry out alterations. You may also be required to pay a maintenance charge towards the upkeep of the communal areas where the house is part of an estate. Your lawyer will advise you fully on all the issues.

Finedon Leasehold Conveyancing - Sample of Questions you should ask Prior to buying

The prefered form of lease arrangement is a share of the freehold. In this arrangement the leaseholders have being in charge if their destiny and notwithstanding that a managing agent is frequently employed if the building is larger than a house conversion, the managing agent is directed by the tenants. How is the lease structured?

Is it necessary during the course of the conveyancing process to attend the offices of the mortgage company conveyancing panel solicitor to execute the mortgage deed? If so, I will choose one who does conveyancing in Finedon so that I can pop in to their offices if required.

Whereas this was necessary ten years ago, most lenders no longer require their conveyancing panel solicitor to witness the borrowers signature. You will still be obliged to provide ID Documents and there are still distinct advantages to using a local solicitor, in your case a conveyancing solicitor in Finedon.