My husband and I are purchasing a 1 bedroom flat in Seaford with a mortgage. We like our Seaford solicitor, however the bank advise she’s not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the bank panel conveyancing practices or retain our Seaford conveyancing practitioner and pay for one of their panel firms to represent them. This seems very unfair; can we not insist that the lender use our Seaford property lawyer ?

No, not really. The mortgage offered to you is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the bank’s conveyancing panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. A further alternative is for your Seaford conveyancing solicitor to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.

My colleague advised me that where I am purchasing in Seaford I should ask my conveyancer to perform a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?

A search of this type is usually quoted for as part of the standard Seaford conveyancing searches. It is not a small report of about 40 pages, listing and detailing significant information about Seaford around the property and the people living there. It incorporates an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the Seaford Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the demographics of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average House Prices, Crime details, Seaford Education with plans and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful information regarding Seaford.

It has been 3 months since my purchase conveyancing in Seaford took place. I have checked the Land Registry site which shows that I paid £200,000 when infact I paid £180,000. Why the discrepancy?

The price paid figure is taken from the application to register the purchase. It is the figure included in the Transfer (the legal deed which transfers the residence from one person to the other) and referred to as the 'consideration' or purchase price. You can report an error in the price paid figure using the LR online form. In most cases errors result from typos so at first glance the figure. Do report it so they can double check and advise.

What makes your site different to other online quote calculators when it comes to conveyancing in Seaford?

At this site receive an accurate quote via a Solicitor or Licensed Conveyancer that understands the nuances for your conveyancing in Seaford. As opposed to estate agents and brokerage sites we are not in the business of charging firms a commission if you select them for your property ownership legalities in Seaford

I am hoping to put an offer on a small detached house that seems to meet my requirements, at a great figure which is making it all the more appealing. I have just discovered that it's a leasehold rather than freehold. I would have thought that there are particular concerns buying a house with a leasehold title in Seaford. Conveyancing advisers have are about to be appointed. Will they explain the issues?

The majority of houses in Seaford are freehold and not leasehold. In this scenario it’s worth having a local solicitor used to dealing with such properties who can help the conveyancing process. It is clear that you are buying in Seaford in which case you should be looking for a Seaford conveyancing practitioner and check that they have experience in advising on leasehold houses. As a matter of priority you will need to check the unexpired lease term. Being a leaseholder you will not be entirely free to do whatever you want with the house. The lease will likely included provisions for example obtaining the landlord’spermission to conduct alterations. You may also be required to pay a maintenance charge towards the maintenance of the communal areas where the house is part of an estate. Your solicitor should advise you fully on all the issues.

Seaford Leasehold Conveyancing - Sample of Queries before buying

Is the freehold reversion owned jointly by the tenants? Who manages the block? It is important to be aware whether redecorating or some other major work is pending that will be shared between the tenants and may well dramatically increase the the service fees or require a specific invoice.