The Nag's Head conveyancing lawyers that I recently instructed on my purchase in Nag's Head have suddenly closed. They were on acting for me because I had to have a solicitor on the conveyancing panel and my preferred Nag's Head lawyer was not. I gave my credit card details for them to take £195 for searches. What should be my next steps?

Assuming that you have an Estate Agent in the equation then inform them immediately so that they can let the sellers know that there may be a slight delay due to reasons beyond your control. Hopefully they will be sympathetic and urge their lawyer to send a new set of papers to your new solicitors. You should appoint new lawyers that are on the conveyancing panel and notify the lender. If you have paid over any money, it will hopefully be held by the SRA as money in an intervened firm's bank accounts is transferred to the SRA. Then, the SRA or the intervention agent looks at the intervened firm's accounts to work out who the money belongs to. To claim your money you will need to contact the SRA. If the SRA cannot return money you are owed from the firm's bank accounts, or if they can only return part of the money, you can apply to the Compensation Fund for a grant. Your new solicitors may be able to assist.

Will our solicitor be making enquiries about flooding as part of the conveyancing in Nag's Head.

Flooding is a growing risk for lawyers dealing with homes in Nag's Head. There are those who buy a house in Nag's Head, completely expectant that at some time, it may be flooded. However, aside from the physical damage, where a house is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to obtain a mortgage, satisfactory building insurance, or dispose of the premises. There are steps that can be taken as part of the conveyancing process to forewarn the buyer.

Lawyers are not qualified to impart advice on flood risk, however there are a various checks that can be undertaken by the buyer or on a buyer’s behalf which can figure out the risks in Nag's Head. The conventional set of information supplied to a buyer’s lawyer (where the Conveyancing Protocol is adopted) includes a usual inquiry of the vendor to discover whether the premises has suffered from flooding. If the premises has been flooded in past and is not revealed by the vendor, then a buyer may commence a legal claim for losses stemming from an incorrect reply. A buyer’s solicitors should also conduct an enviro search. This will reveal if there is any known flood risk. If so, further inquiries should be initiated.

I've recently found out that there is a flying freehold issue on a property I put an offer in last month in what was supposed to be a simple, chain free conveyancing. Nag's Head is where the house is located. Can you offer any opinion?

Flying freeholds in Nag's Head are rare but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside Nag's Head you would need to get your solicitor to go through the deeds very carefully. Your bank may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Nag's Head may decide 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.

I inherited a 1st floor flat in Nag's Head, conveyancing having been completed in 1995. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Corresponding properties in Nag's Head with a long lease are worth £165,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £45 invoiced annually. The lease finishes on 21st October 50

With 50 years left to run we estimate the price of your lease extension to be between £36,100 and £41,800 as well as legals.

The figure above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs without more detailed investigations. Do not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt other issues that need to be taken into account and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action based on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.

Should local authority consent be necessary to convert a single dwelling into two flats in Nag's Head? This has been carried out to a property opposite to my home in Nag's Head and was unaware of the conversion until the works were finished.

Planning permission is necessary for splitting a single house in Nag's Head into flats but probably not for converting back to single dwelling-house so, simply put, yes.