My partner and I are intent on acquiring property in Freshwater Bay. My property lawyer is not listed on the mortgage company conveyancing list. Is it possible for me to use my Freshwater Bay conveyancing solicitor notwithstanding that they are excluded from the mortgage company panel of approved conveyancing solicitors?

You will need to use a lawyer to complete the formalities when you take out a mortgage to buy your property. The property lawyer will carry out all the relevant due diligence on the property, make sure that you’re registered as proprietor and ensure that all the required mortgage paperwork is dealt with. You could instruct a Freshwater Bay solicitor of your choice. Nevertheless, if the lawyer selected is not a member of the mortgage company approved list further fees will arise as separate legal representation will be required by them. Lender panel applications may be submitted, so provided your solicitor has not in the past applied for membership they should do so.

I am acquiring a property mortgage free in Freshwater Bay. I have resided for the last twelve years in Freshwater Bay. Conveyancing searches are a lot of money. Given that I know the area and road intimately must I have all the conveyancing searches?

If you not getting a mortgage, then the vast majority of the Freshwater Bay conveyancing searches are optional. Your conveyancer will 'advise', no-doubt strongly, that you should have searches carried out, but she has a professional duty to do this. One thing to take into account; if you are likely to dispose of the house at a future date, it will likely be be of importance to your future buyer what the searches determine. Sometimes premises with functional issues can still throw up detrimental search results. A competent conveyancing solicitor in Freshwater Bay will provide you some practical advice in this regard.

My bid for a property was accepted at auction in Freshwater Bay. Conveyancing is required. What are my next steps?

Having to all intents and purposes signed on the dotted line you must instruct a conveyancing lawyer quickly as you are faced with a tight a drop dead date to complete the conveyancing. All auction property should have an associated legal pack. This will likely include evidence of title and search results. In the case of leasehold property the auction pack may provide a copy of the lease, management information and a sellers leasehold information form and other conveyancing paperwork pertinent to a leasehold property. You must give this to the solicitor instructed by you as soon as possible. Do make sure that that you have the requisite funding in place to complete on the date specified in the contract.

I am buying a property in Freshwater Bay. One unusual aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Solicitors conducting should look into this right? Will my lender Coventry BS be concerned?

As you are obtaining a mortgage with Coventry BS your lawyer must comply with the formal requirements contained in Part 2 of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Coventry BS. The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook includes minimum conditions for solar panel roof-space leases, and solicitors are required to report to Coventry BS where a lease fails to meet these conditions. The specifications relate to the installation of panels on properties countrywide and is not isolated to Freshwater Bay.

I recently had an offer accepted on a house in Freshwater Bay. My mortgage broker pressured me to appoint their conveyancer. I paid an upfront payment of £175. Not long after, the solicitor called me to say that they were not on the Barclays 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 Barclays 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 want to sublet my leasehold flat in Freshwater Bay. Conveyancing solicitor who did the purchase is retired - so can't ask her. Is permission from the freeholder required?

A small minority of properties in Freshwater Bay do contain a provision to say that subletting is only allowed with permission. The landlord cannot unreasonably withhold but, in such cases, they would need to review references. Experience suggests that problems are usually caused by unsatisfactory tenants rather than owner-occupiers and for that reason you can expect the freeholder to take up the references and consider them carefully before granting permission.

I am the registered owner of a 2 bed flat in Freshwater Bay, conveyancing formalities finalised in 2011. How much will my lease extension cost? Comparable properties in Freshwater Bay with an extended lease are worth £222,000. The ground rent is £50 charged once a year. The lease terminates on 21st October 2095

With 70 years unexpired we estimate the premium for your lease extension to be between £9,500 and £11,000 as well as professional fees.

The figure above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs without more detailed due diligence. You should not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt additional issues that need to be considered and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward based on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.

I have finally had an offer on an flat in Freshwater Bay agreed to, the owner does nevertheless have a tied purchase. The vendors have offered on a property, although it’s not yet agreed to, and has viewings of other flats booked. I have selected a nearby conveyancing lawyer in Freshwater Bay. What do I do now? At what stage do I apply for the mortgage with Coventry BS?

It is standard to have apprehensions where there is an associated chain given your reluctance to be too out of pocket too early (mortgage application is approx £1k, then valuation, Freshwater Bay conveyancing search costs, etc). First, you must check that your conveyancer is on the Coventry BS approved list. Regarding the next phase this very much dictated by the specifics of your case, desire for the property and on the state of the market. In a hot market some home buyers will apply for the mortgage with Coventry BS and pay for the survey and only if it comes back ok would they ask their conveyancer to proceed with searches.