My wife and I are hoping to buy a flat in Snodland and have instructed a Snodland conveyancing practice. Within the last couple of days our property lawyer has sent a preliminary report and documents to look through in anticipation of exchanging contracts shortly. have this morning contacted us to inform me that there is now an issue as our Snodland conveyancer is not on their conveyancing panel. Please explain?

Where you are buying a property needing a mortgage it is normal for the purchasers' solicitors to also represent the mortgage company. In order to act for a bank or building society a law firm has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the law firm to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the firm has to satisfy and indeed some lenders now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme. Your property lawyer should contact your lender and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own solicitors to act. You are not legally obliged to appoint a law firm on the bank's conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own Snodland solicitors, in which case your legal fees may increase, and it will likely delay the transaction as you are adding another lawyer into the mix.

We see that you have a post code search directory listing firms on the conveyancing panel. Do companies pay you a commission if I retain them for our conveyancing in Snodland?

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

We're in Snodland, FTBs purchasing with a mortgage (lender is , and our lawyer is on the conveyancing panel). How long should the conveyancing process take?

The fact that your lawyer is on the conveyancing panel is a help. It would almost certainly delay matters if they were not. However, no should guarantee a timeframe for your conveyancing, due to third parties outside of your control such as delays caused by lenders,conveyancing search providers or by the other side’s solicitors. The time taken is often determined by the number of parties in a chain.

I have been on the look out for a flat up to £245,000 and identified one near me in Snodland I like with amenity areas and station nearby, the downside is that it's only got 49 remaining years left on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Snodland in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error purchasing a short lease?

If you require a mortgage that many years may be a potential deal breaker. Discount the price by the expected lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the existing proprietor has owned the premises for at least twenty four months you can request that they start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the existing lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer concerning this.

I want to sublet my leasehold flat in Snodland. Conveyancing solicitor who did the purchase is retired - so can't ask him. Do I need to ask my freeholder for their consent?

A small minority of properties in Snodland do contain a provision to say that subletting is only permitted with prior consent from the landlord. The landlord is not entitled to unreasonably refuse but, in such cases, they would need to see references. Experience suggests that problems are usually caused by unsatisfactory tenants rather than owner-occupiers and for that reason you can expect the freeholder to take up the references and consider them carefully before granting permission.

Snodland Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Sample of Queries Prior to buying

The answer will be important as a) areas can cause problems in the block as the common areas may begin to deteriorate if services are not paid for b) if the tenants have an issue with the managing agents you will need to have full disclosure Best to be warned whether a new roof is being installed or some other major work is anticipated that will be shared amongst the leaseholders and will materially impact the level of the service charges or necessitate a one off payment. You should want to discover as much as possible regarding the company managing the building as they will affect your use and enjoyment of the property. Being a leasehold owner you will be in the clutches of the managing agents from a financial perspective and when it comes to daily matters like the cleanliness of the common parts. Ask other people what they think of them. Finally, be sure you know the dates that the service charges are due to the appropriate party and precisely what you get for your money.