I do hope you can assist me. My Gunnislake solicitor is informing me me that he is legally obliged toapply for Gunnislake conveyancing searches stemming from the fact thatthe firm are on the Nat Westapproved lawyer panel. Is my lawyer correct?

Unfortunately both you and your lawyer have little choice here. As you are taking a mortgage with a bank your property lawyer has to comply with their conditions as set out in their version of the CML Conveyancing Handbook. Your property lawyer would have previously signed the Terms and Conditions of your lender’s conveyancing panel appointment which obliges them to comply with the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook requirements . Even if you were a cash buyer you would be ill advised not to carry out Gunnislake conveyancing searches.

At what point does exchange of contracts happen for sale conveyancing in Gunnislake and do I need to attend the solicitors branch?

If you are local to our conveyancing solicitors in Gunnislake you are invited in to sign contracts. However, the firms we work with provide countrywide coverage for conveyancing and provide as equally detailed and professional a job for you when dealing with you digitally. The executing of the contract is not when everything is set in stone. Signing on the dotted line simply enables the firm to officially exchange when the time is right, which is ordinarily shortly after signing. The exchange process is nowadays normally dealt with by telephone and can be very rapid, although where a lengthy "chain" is in play, since the process requires the relevant party's solicitor (not necessarily a conveyancing solicitor in Gunnislake)to be in the office available at the end of the phone to exchange contracts.

We are buying a apartment in Gunnislake. It might be a silly question but how we can trust a conveyancer? On the day of competition we have to send funds into their account. What is the protection we have from them run away with our monies?

Be assured that all money in a Solicitors client account is 100% safe, and even if your Solicitor ran off with it, the Law Society would reimburse you fully.

Can I be sure that the Gunnislake conveyancing solicitor on the Virgin Money panel is any good?

When it comes to conveyancing in Gunnislake getting recommendations is a sensible start. Before you go ahead, check if they offer a no sale no fee offer. Also, you often get what you pay for - a firm which quotes more, will often provide a better service than one which is cheap as chips. We would always suggest that you speak with the solicitor carrying out your transaction.

Having digested plenty of mortgage guides, I note that it is considered advisable to get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Gunnislake solicitor - who is on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. is that correct?

Clydesdale will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Clydesdale will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. Your property lawyer will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by your Gunnislake postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Clydesdale, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Gunnislake.

I am employed by a busy estate agency in Gunnislake where we have experienced a number of flat sales jeopardised due to short leases. I have been given conflicting advice from local Gunnislake conveyancing solicitors. Please can you confirm whether the owner of a flat can instigate the lease extension process for the purchaser on completion of the sale?

Provided that the seller has owned the lease for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. The benefit of this is that the buyer need not have to wait 2 years to extend their lease. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment has to be done before, or at the same time as completion of the sale.

Alternatively, it may be possible to extend the lease informally by agreement with the landlord either before or after the sale. If you are informally negotiating there are no rules and so you cannot insist on the landlord agreeing to grant an extension or transferring the benefit of an agreement to the buyer.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Gunnislake - Examples of Queries Prior to Purchasing

The answer will be important as a) areas can result in problems in the building as the common areas may begin to deteriorate where repairs are not paid for b) if the leaseholders have an issue with the running of the building you will wish to know about it Its a good idea to find out as much as you can about the company managing the building as they can either make life much easier or problematic. Being a leasehold owner you are often at the mercy of the managing agents both financially and when it comes to every day matters such as the upkeep of the common parts. Ask other people whether they are happy with their management. In conclusion, be sure you understand the dates that you are obliged pay the maintenance charge to the managing agents and precisely how they are spending the funds.

My partner and I are buying a first floor flat in Gunnislake. At the time of instructing our property lawyer, they told us that they were on all major UK bank panels. Our financial adviser called today to advise that they don't appear to be on the Santander approved list. Should that be true, what should we do? Should we simply pick a different solicitor that is on their panel or should we cover the costs for dual representation, with Santander appointing their own preferred conveyancing practitioner.

If you are buying a property needing a mortgage it is conventional for the purchaser’s solicitors to also represent the mortgage company. In order to act for a bank or building society a conveyancing practitioner has to be on that lender's list of approved lawyers. An application has to be made by the conveyancing practitioner to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict conditions which the solicitor has to meet. Some mortgage companies now insist their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Accreditation Scheme. Your solicitor should contact Santander to find out if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own lawyers to represent them. You don't have to instruct a firm on Santander's conveyancing panel as you are at liberty to use your preferred Gunnislake lawyers, in which case your legal fees may increase, and it may delay matters as you are adding another solicitor into the mix.