I am nearing exchange of contracts for my house in Comberton and the EA has just called to say that the buyers are changing their property lawyer. I am told that this is due to the fact that the bank will only deal with property lawyers on their approved list. Why would a major mortgage company only deal with specific lawyers rather the firm that they want to choose to handle their conveyancing in Comberton ?

Mortgage companies have always had an approved set of law firms that can represent them, but in recent years big names such as Santander, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have acted for them for more than 15 years.

Lenders blame a rise in fraud as the reason for the pruning – criteria have been stiffened as a smaller panel is easier to oversee. Banks tend not to disclose how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society claims that it is hearing daily from firms that have been removed from panels. Plenty of firms are unaware that they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyers' case. Your buyers are unlikely to have any sway in the decision.

I am acquiring a house mortgage free in Comberton. I have resided for the previous 15 years in Comberton. Conveyancing searches are exorbitant. Given that I know the area and road intimately must I have all the conveyancing searches?

In the absence of a home loan, then all but one or two of the Comberton conveyancing searches are at your discretion. Your solicitor will try and steer you, no-doubt strongly, that you should have searches carried out, but he is duty bound to do this. One thing to consider; if you are intend to sell the house in the future, it will likely be be of interest to your future purchaser what the searches reveal. On occasion premises with apparent issues can still throw up detrimental search results. A good conveyancing solicitor in Comberton should be able to give you some practical advice concerning this.

My bid for a property was accepted at auction in Comberton. Conveyancing is necessary. What happens now?

Now that you are exchanged you will need to hire the services of a conveyancing solicitor as a matter of urgency as you will have a fast approaching deadline in which to complete the property. Every auction property should have a corresponding legal pack. This will include most,if not all of the documents that your lawyer requires. In the case of leasehold premises the conveyancing pack may provide a copy of the lease, management information and a sellers leasehold information form and other conveyancing paperwork relating to a leasehold property. You need to hand this to your appointed conveyancing solicitor as soon as possible. Do make sure that you have funds organised to complete on the date specified in the contract.

Please help - my lawyer says that chancel insurance is needed on my purchase. What is the level of cover for Comberton conveyancing?

The appropriate level of chancel indemnity insurance depends on who your lender is. It would differ for example between Santander and Leeds Building Society. Conveyancing practitioners as opposed to members of the public take out such policies.

I recently had an offer agreed on an apartment in Comberton. My mortgage broker pressured me to appoint their conveyancer. I paid an upfront payment of £200. A few days later, the lawyer called me embarrassingly acknowledging that they were not on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?

You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Yorkshire BS panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.

I have been on the look out for a flat up to £195,000 and identified one near me in Comberton I like with open areas and railway links in the vicinity, however it's only got 49 years on the lease. There is not much else in Comberton in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error purchasing a short lease?

Should you need a mortgage the shortness of the lease may be problematic. Reduce the price by the amount the lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the existing proprietor has owned the property for a minimum of twenty four months you could ask them to commence the lease extension formalities and pass it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the existing lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor about this.

In what way can the Landlord & Tenant Act 1954 impact my business property in Comberton and how can you help?

The 1954 Act provides a safeguard to commercial tenants, giving them the legal entitlement to apply to court for a new tenancy and continue in occupation at the end of the lease term. There are certain specified grounds that a landlord can refuse a lease renewal and the rules are involved. We are happy to direct you to commercial conveyancing firms who use the act to your advantage and handle your commercial conveyancing in Comberton