My financial adviser has asked me for my Hartford solicitor’s panel member for the HSBC conveyancing panel. How do I discover this. I have called my local Hartford branch but they have not got back to me yet.

You are best placed to get this information from your Hartford solicitor . Most Hartford law firms will keep a file or database of lender panel information which would include, if applicable, their conveyancing panel details for each lender.

I am acquiring a house without a mortgage in Hartford. I have been residing for the last 20 years in Hartford. Conveyancing searches are exorbitant. As I have knowledge of the area and road very well must I have all the conveyancing searches?

In the absence of a mortgage, then the vast majority of the Hartford conveyancing searches are at your discretion. Your lawyer will try and steer you, perhaps strongly, that you should have searches done, but he is duty bound to do this. One thing to consider; if you are intend to sell the house at a future date, it will be of relevance to your future buyer what the searches contain. There are plenty of instances where properties with functional issues can still reveal detrimental search results. A competent conveyancing solicitor in Hartford will provide you some practical guidance concerning this.

I purchased a freehold property in Hartford but nevertheless invoiced for rent, why is this and what is this?

It is rare for properties in Hartford and has limited impact for conveyancing in Hartford but some freehold properties in England (particularly common in North West England) pay an annual sum known as a Chief Rent or a Rentcharge to a third party who has no other legal interest in the land.

Rentcharge payments are usually between £2.00 and £5.00 per year. Rentcharges have existed for many centuries, but the Rent Charge Act 1977 barred the generation of new rentcharges post 1977.

Old rentcharges can now be extinguished by making a one off payment under the Act. Any rentcharges that are still in existence after 2037 will be extinguished.

I am the sole recipient of my late grandmother’s will and I have everything in my name alone, including the house in Hartford. The Hartford property was put into my name in June. I now wish to sell up. I understand that there is a Mortgage Lenders six month 'rule', meaning my property ownership will be regarded the same way as if I'd bought the house in June. Is the property unsalable for six months?

The CML handbook requires solicitors to: "report to us immediately if the owner or registered proprietor has been registered for less than six months." By the strict wording you may be affected by that. many mortgage companies would take a practical view as this provision is primarily there to capture subsales or the flipping of properties.

My husband and I are in the throws of viewing apartments in Hartford and I am about to put in an offer. Is it premature to have a solicitor in place? I intend to finance via a home loan with Aldermore.

It would be sensible to start 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 selling agent. As you are seeking a mortgage with Aldermore, ask your prospective lawyers if they are on the Aldermore conveyancing panel otherwise they can't do the mortgage legal work.

I have a mortgage with Santander for my property in Hartford. Conveyancing has been completed 12 months 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 buy-to-let mortgage or inform Santander?

Santander must be informed of your intention prior to letting out your property as this is likely to be a breach of Santander’s mortgage conditions. It may be that Santander 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 Santander directly. You need not do this via a Santander conveyancing panel solicitor.

Me and my wife have just had an offer accepted on a property and had meeting on Wednesday with Nationwide for the mortgage. They warned us that when it comes to appointing a conveyancer that if they are not on their approved list of lawyers then we will be subject to an an extra fee of £250+. This is because they will then have to select a solicitor to act for them in addition to the one we appoint on our behalf and we assume responsibility for their fees. I have requested Nationwide to supply me with a list so I can request estimates only from their approved solicitors but was told that I need to check with each individual lawyer to see if they are on the panel. Is there a simple way of finding out who is on a lender panel?

You can enquire of Nationwide what their criteria for panel membership is for a conveyancer.Then ask the lawyer of your choice whether they fit that criteria and have they acted on mortgages for Nationwide before. Where the answer to those is yes, then just double check with Nationwide. Another option is to use our search facility and we may be able to locate a property lawyer in Hartford on the panel for Nationwide.