I am not well enough to travel far from Horsham. What is the rationale as to why all Horsham lawyers are not on all mortgage company panels?

Even though it may seem unfair for lenders to restrict who can act for them, from the public’s or lawyer’s standpoint, the flip side is that mortgage companies are becoming ever more anxious and consider it necessary to protect them from mortgage fraud. As a consequence of this concern mortgage companies have consolidated their panel of approved conveyancing lawyers to a manageable size.

At what point will exchange of contracts occur in purchase conveyancing in Horsham and am I required to attend the lawyers office?

Where you are in close proximity to our conveyancing solicitors in Horsham 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 communicating with you electronically. The signing of the sale agreement is not the important part. A signed contract is just a prerequisite for the solicitor to officially exchange when the time is right, which will usually be very shortly after signing. The procedure is is usually a five minute process, although where an extended "chain" is in play, since the process requires the relevant party's solicitor (not necessarily a conveyancing solicitor in Horsham)to be in the office at the appropriate time.

We are purchasing a victorian detached house in Horsham. The intention is to carry out a loft conversion at the property.Will the conveyancing process involve checks to ascertain if these works are prohibited?

Your conveyancer should check the deeds as conveyancing in Horsham will on occasion identify restrictions in the title deeds which prohibit categories of alterations or necessitated the consent of a 3rd party. Certain additions require local authority planning consent and approval in compliance with building regulations. Certain areas are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which often prevent or impact extensions. You should check these things with a surveyor before you commit yourself to a purchase.

I had a mortgage agreed in principle with Santander. Horsham conveyancing lawyers have been chosen. How long does it take for Santander to forward the offer to the conveyancing practitioner?

There is no definitive answer here. Have Santander completed the survey? Have you informed Santander as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the Santander conveyancing panel? It is not unusual for a mortgage offer to take a month to come through.

I have instructed a Horsham solicitor having made sure that they are on the HSBC conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?

HSBC will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually HSBC 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 conveyancer 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 Horsham postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with HSBC, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Horsham.

The deeds to our house are lost. The conveyancers who conducted the conveyancing in Horsham 10 years ago no longer exist. What do I do?

In today’s world there are duplicates made of almost everything, and your conveyancer will be aware exactly where to locate all the suitable paperwork so you can purchase or sell your property without any difficulty. If duplicates can’t be found, your lawyer may be able to put in place insurance or indemnities against possible claims on your property.

Is it the case that all Horsham conveyancers on every bank conveyancing panel?

The Lexsure search tool on this page may be of use or you can drop into your high street lender branch in Horsham. Chances are that they can recommend conveyancing solicitors in Horsham