Do banks and building societies provide you with an approved list of Lightwater conveyancing solicitors? How do you know who is on the Santander conveyancing panel?

Lightwater conveyancing firms themselves provide us confirmation that they are on the Santander conveyancing panel as opposed to being supplied with a list from Santander directly.

I am helping my mother sell her house in Lightwater. Does the conveyancer order an energy assessment or do I organise this?

Following the abolition of Home Packs, energy assessments was maintained a mandatory part of selling a house. An energy assessment should be commissioned prior to the property being marketed. This is not a task that solicitors normally organise. Where you are using a Lightwater conveyancing solicitor they might help arrange energy performance certificates due to their relationships with reputable local assessors

I have decided to exercise my right to buy my property in Lightwater off the council. I have a mortgage offer with Barclays. Conveyancing is not something I have any knowledge of. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should use one. Any advice?

It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with Barclays, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Barclays conveyancing panel.

I currently have a mortgage with UBS for my property in Lightwater. Conveyancing has been completed a year ago. In the event that I decide 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 UBS?

Your original mortgage agreement with UBS will provide that you need their approval in advance of letting out your property as this is likely to be a breach of UBS’s mortgage conditions. In many cases banks or building societies will permit you to let 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 UBS directly. It should not be necessary to do this via a UBS conveyancing panel solicitor.

Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to our property are lost. The lawyers who did the conveyancing in Lightwater 4 years ago no longer exist. What are my options?

Assuming the title is registered the information relating to your proprietorship will be held by the Land Registry under a Title Number. It is easy to perform a search at the Land Registry, identify your property and order up to date copies of the property title for less than a fiver. If the property is Leasehold then the Land Registry will in most cases hold a certified copy of the Registered Lease and again, a copy can be ordered for £20 inclusive of VAT.

I am using a search engine for the term on line conveyancing in Lightwater it shows results of numerous solicitorslocally. How do I determine which is the right property lawyer for my move?

The preferential method of seeking the right conveyancer is through a personal recommendation, so enquire of colleagues and relatives who have acquired a property in Lightwater or a local estate agent or mortgage broker. Costs for conveyancing in Lightwater differ, so it's sensible to secure a minimum of four costs illustrations from different companies. Dont forget to clarify that the costs are guaranteed not to escalate.

Why am I unable to complete our conveyancing in Lightwater on Easter Monday?

Because on completion the purchase price needs to pass between the banks of the purchaser and seller's solicitor and currently this can only happen on a business day. It is not possible to complete on a saturday or sunday either.