I am selling my apartment in Hackenthorpe and the estate agent has just called to advise that the purchasers are swapping law firm. I am told that this is due to the fact that the bank will only work with property lawyers on their approved list. On what basis would a big named mortgage company only deal with specific lawyers rather the firm that they want to select for their conveyancing in Hackenthorpe ?

Lenders have always had an approved set of law firms that can act for them, but in the past few years big names such as Lloyds Banking Group, have considered and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have acted for them for decades.

Lending institutions justify this action to a rise in fraud by way of justification for the pruning – criteria have been narrowed as a smaller panel is easier to monitor. Banks tend not to reveal how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society says it is hearing daily from firms that have been removed from panels. Plenty of firms do not even realise they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyers' case. Your buyers are unlikely to have any impact on this.

Last month we had a mortgage agreed in principle with . Hackenthorpe conveyancing lawyers were appointed. How long does it take for to send the offer to the ?

There is no definitive answer here. Have completed the valuation? Have you informed as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the conveyancing panel? Sometimes it can take as long as six weeks for a mortgage offer to be issued.

I currently have a mortgage with for my property in Hackenthorpe. Conveyancing has been completed some time ago. If I am intending to rent out the flat and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a BTL mortgage or inform ?

must be informed of your intention in advance of renting your property as this is likely to be a breach of ’s mortgage conditions. In many cases banks or building societies will allow you to rent out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact directly. It should not be necessary to do this via a conveyancing panel firm.

Our sealed bid on a semi in Hackenthorpe has been accepted, but there is a chain. The vendors have placed an offer on on an apartment, however it’s not been accepted yet, and have viewings of other properties booked. I have selected a local conveyancing solicitor in Hackenthorpe. What do I do now? When do I get the mortgage application with started?

It is understandable to have apprehensions where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to incur costs prematurely (mortgage application is in the region of one thousand pounds, then survey, Hackenthorpe conveyancing search costs, etc). First, you should ensure that your is on the conveyancing panel. Regarding the subsequent steps this very much dictated by the uniqueness of your transaction, desire for the property and on the state of the market. In a buoyant market many purchasers will apply for the mortgage with and arrange for the valuation and only if it comes back ok would they pay their to press on with the conveyancing in Hackenthorpe.

My wife and I have a renovated Victorian property in Hackenthorpe. Conveyancing practitioner acted for me and . I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and I saw a couple of entries: one for freehold, another for leasehold with the exact same address. I thought I was buying a freehold how can I check?

You need to review the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register as there may be 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 Hackenthorpe and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they remortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with lenders. You can also enquire as to the position with your conveyancing practitioner who conducted the purchase.

I am looking for a conveyancing lawyer in Hackenthorpe for my purchase. Is there any facility to check a solicitor's complaints history with the legal regulator?

Anyone may review published Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) decisions stemming from inquisitions started on or after 1 January 2008. Go to Check a solicitor's record. To find information about the period before 1 January 2008, or to check a solicitors history, call 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and 09.30 - 18.00 Tuesday. For non-uk callers, call +44 (0)121 329 6800. The SRA may recorded telephone calls for training requirements.

I have just started marketing my 2 bed flat in Hackenthorpe. Conveyancing solicitors are to be appointed soon, however I have recently had a half-yearly service charge demand – should I leave it to the buyer to sort out?

It best that you clear the service charge as you normally would because all ground rent and service charges will be apportioned as part of the financial calculations for completion monies, so you will be reimbursed by the buyer for the period running from after the completion date to the subsequent invoice date. Most managing agents will not acknowledge the buyer until the service charges have been paid and are up to date, so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. Having a clear account will assist your cause and will leave you no worse off financially.

Hackenthorpe Leasehold Conveyancing - A selection of Queries Prior to Purchasing

The answer will be useful as a) areas can cause problems in the block as the common areas may start to deteriorate where repairs remain unpaid b) if the leasehold owners have a dispute with the managing agents you will want to know about it Make sure you find out if there are any onerous prohibitions in the lease. For instance plenty of leases prohibit pets being allowed in in a block in Hackenthorpe. If you like the propertyin Hackenthorpe but your cat can’t move with you then you will be presented with a difficult choice. How many of the leaseholders are in arrears for their service charge payments?