I have an AIP. The bank mentioned the mortgage came with free conveyancing. Does this mean I have to use their panel solicitor as I would prefer to appoint a Silsoe based conveyancing firm?

You should check but the the probability is that appoint one of their panel conveyancers if you accept the "fee-free" deal. Call the bank and see if they make available a cash alternative. In the past a few lenders offered a £250 cashback as an alternative in which case you could put that amount towards your preferred conveyancing solicitor near Silsoe.

I have today made my last payment due on my mortgage with Coventry BS. I assume I don't need a Silsoe solicitor on the Coventry BS panel to discharge the mortgage at the Land Registry. Please confirm.

If you have finished paying off your Coventry BS mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the Coventry BS mortgage from the register. Coventry BS, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:

1. but are not moving to another property
2. where Coventry BS has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
3. Coventry BS has instructed the Land Registry to do so

I am due to exchange contracts on my apartment. I had a double glazing fitted in September 2008, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My purchaser’s mortgage company, HSBC are being a right pain. The Silsoe solicitor who is on the HSBC conveyancing panel is recommending indemnity insurance as a solution but HSBC are insisting on a building regulation certificate. Why do HSBC have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?

It is probably the case that HSBC have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why HSBC may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing was correctly and safely installed. The indemnity insurance merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.

I was told four weeks ago that my mortgage has been agreed to by Santander. Is it usual for Santander to only issue the offer once my solicitor in Silsoe is approved on their conveyancing panel? Santander have asked my solicitor to see a copy of their PI Insurance.

A lender would not issue a mortgage until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Santander to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the Santander conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.

Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly picked up during conveyancing in Silsoe?

Covenants that are restrictive in nature can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the process of conveyancing in Silsoe. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’

Helen (my wife) and I may need to sub-let our Silsoe 1st floor flat temporarily due to a new job. We used a Silsoe conveyancing firm in 2004 but they have closed and we did not have the foresight to get any guidance as to whether the lease prohibits the subletting of the flat. How do we find out?

Even though your last Silsoe conveyancing solicitor is no longer around you can check your lease to check if you are permitted to let out the apartment. The accepted inference is that if the lease is non-specific, subletting is allowed. Quite often there is a prerequisite that you are obliged to seek permission from your landlord or some other party prior to subletting. This means that you cannot sublet in the absence of prior consent. The consent should not be unreasonably withheld. If the lease prohibits you from letting out the property you should ask your landlord if they are willing to waive this restriction.

Silsoe Leasehold Conveyancing - A selection of Queries before Purchasing

Is there a share of the freehold? Are any of leasehold owners in arrears of their service charge liability? It would be prudent to find out as much as you can regarding the company managing the block as they will either make life much easier or much more difficult. Being a leasehold owner you are frequently in the clutches of the managing agents both financially and when it comes to every day matters such as the tidiness of the common parts. Ask prospective neighbours what they think of them. Finally, be sure you understand the dates that you are obliged pay the service charge to the managing agents and precisely what it includes.

I see that you have a search directory listing law firms on the bank conveyancing panel. Do Silsoe conveyancing companies pay you a referral fee if I appoint them for my house purchase?

We are a listing service only for law firms wishing to communicate if they are on the mortgage company conveyancing panel or other lender panels. We do not charge referral fees to the any conveyancer that you subsequently appoint for your conveyancing in Silsoe.