Me and my husband are purchasing a ground floor flat in Hamworthy. My property lawyer is not on the bank approved list. Is it possible for me to continue with my Hamworthy conveyancing solicitor notwithstanding that they are not on the mortgage company panel?

One will need to appoint a lawyer to complete the legal work required when you take out a loan to buy your property. The conveyancer will carry out all the necessary due diligence on the property, make sure that you will be properly registered as the owner and ensure that all the required mortgage paperwork is in place. You may select a Hamworthy lawyer of your choosing. However, if the conveyancer appointed is not a member of the lender approved list supplemental charges will be incurred as separate legal representation will be need by the bank. Bank panel applications may be submitted, so provided your conveyancer has not previously applied for membership they should do so.

Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to my property can not be found. The solicitors who did the conveyancing in Hamworthy 5 years ago no longer exist. What do I do?

Assuming the title is registered the details of your ownership will be held by the Land Registry with a Title Number. It is easy to carry out a search at the Land Registry, find your house and secure up to date copies of the Registered Entries for a small fee. Where the title is Leasehold then the Land Registry will in most cases retain a certified copy of the Registered Lease and again, a copy can be retrieved for twenty pounds.

Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold element on a house I put an offer in two weeks back in what was supposed to be a quick, chain free conveyancing. Hamworthy is the location of the property. Can you offer any assistance?

Flying freeholds in Hamworthy are not the norm but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even though you don't necessarily need a conveyancing solicitor in Hamworthy you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds thoroughly. Your lender may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Hamworthy may determine that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold property.

Am I best advised to use a Hamworthy conveyancing practitioner based in the area that I am purchasing? We have a good friend who can perform the legal work but they are based 300miles drive away.

The primary upside of using a local Hamworthy conveyancing practice is that you can attend the office to execute documents, deliver your identification documents and apply pressure on them if necessary. Having local Hamworthy know how is a bonus. However it's more important to get someone that will pull out all the stops for you. If you know people who used your friend and the majority were content that must surpass using an unknown Hamworthy conveyancing solicitor solely due to them being local.

My wife and I purchased a leasehold flat in Hamworthy. Conveyancing and Norwich and Peterborough Building Society mortgage went though with no issue. A letter has just been received from someone saying they have taken over the freehold. It included a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1993. The conveyancing solicitor in Hamworthy who acted for me is not around. Any advice?

The first thing you should do is make enquiries of HMLR to be sure that the individual claiming to own the freehold is indeed the new freeholder. There is no need to incur the fees of a Hamworthy conveyancing firm to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for less than a fiver. Rest assured that regardless, even if this is the legitimate freeholder, under the Limitation Act 1980 the limitation period for recovery of ground rent is six years.

Hamworthy Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Sample of Queries before Purchasing

Please inform me if there are any major works in the planning that will increase the service fees? Where a Hamworthy lease has less than eighty years it will affect the value of the apartment. Check with your lender that they are willing to lend given the lease term. A short lease means that you will almost definitely have to extend the lease at some point and it is worth finding out what this will be. For most Hamworthylease extensions you will be required to have been the owner of the property for a couple of years before you are eligible to extend the lease. Is the freehold owned collectively by the tenants?