I have just been advised by my mortgage broker that my Kettering property lawyer is not on the mortgage company Conveyancing panel. What can I do to be certain whether this is indeed the case?

Your first step should be to contact your Kettering conveyancer. You lawyer should notify you of the situation. Where they are not on the panel they may be able to suggest a Kettering conveyancing practice that is on the conveyancing panel for your lender.

Why is leasehold purchase conveyancing in Kettering is more expensive?

Kettering leasehold properties involve far more paperwork than a freehold purchase, and therefore takes more time to examine and advise upon.Conveyancing will involve the lease having to be checked which is usually a lengthy document, queries raised to ensure that the covenants and conditions have been observed. If it is a flat there will be a management company in existence and the accounts of this will need to be checked and enquiries raised to ensure it is operating efficiently and that all monies due have been paid by the Seller to the company and if not ensuring that money is paid up to date or the appropriate undertakings obtained.

I used Arc property Solicitors a few years ago for my conveyancing in Kettering. I now require my papers however cannot find the solicitor. What do I do?

You should contact the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to assist in tracing your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Kettering of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously hired, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.

I need to instruct a conveyancing solicitor in Kettering for my home move. Is there any facility to see a solicitor's complaints history with the legal regulator?

Anyone can review presented Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) decisions arising from investigations started on or after 1 January 2008. Visit Check a solicitor's record. To find records about the period before 1 January 2008, or to check a firm's record, telephone 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 any week day save for Tuesday when lines open at 9.30am. For non-uk callers, call +44 (0)121 329 6800. The SRA sometimes recorded call for training reasons.

We expect to complete the sale of our £350,000 flat in Kettering on Monday in a week. The freeholder has quoted £348 for Landlord’s certificate, insurance certificate and 3 years statements of service charge. Is the landlord entitled to charge an administration fee for a flat conveyance in Kettering?

Kettering conveyancing on leasehold apartments nine out of ten times necessitates administration charges levied by freeholders :

Addressing conveyancing due diligence questions Where consent is required before sale in Kettering Copies of the building insurance and schedule Deeds of covenant upon sale Registering of the assignment of the change of lessee after a sale

Your conveyancer will have no control over the level of the charges for this information but the average costs for the information for Kettering leasehold premises is £350. For Kettering conveyancing transactions it is customary for the seller to pay for these costs. The landlord or their agents are under no legal obligation to answer such questions most will be willing to do so - albeit often at exorbitant prices where the fees bear little relation to the work involved. Unfortunately there is no law that requires fixed charges for administrative tasks. Neither is there any legal time frame by which they are obliged to provide answers.

I inherited a 1st floor flat in Kettering, conveyancing having been completed 3 years ago. Can you please calculate a probable premium for a statutory lease extension? Similar properties in Kettering with a long lease are worth £175,000. The ground rent is £65 levied per year. The lease ceases on 21st October 2083

You have 58 years left to run the likely cost is going to span between £23,800 and £27,400 as well as professional fees.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to supply the actual costs without more comprehensive investigations. Do not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be additional concerns that need to be taken into account and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you move forward placing reliance on this information before getting professional advice.