My wife and I are hoping to acquire a property in Monken Hadley and have appointed a Monken Hadley conveyancing firm. Within the past 48 hours our property lawyer has forwarded the sale agreement to be signed with a detailed report with the expectation that exchange is imminent. Virgin Money have this evening contacted us to inform me that there is now an issue as our Monken Hadley lawyer is not on their approved list of lawyers. What do we do from here?

Where you are buying a property with the assistance of a mortgage it is standard for the purchasers' solicitors to also act for 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 Accreditation Scheme. Your property lawyer should contact your bank and see 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 the bank's conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own Monken Hadley 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.

I am the registered owner of a freehold premises in Monken Hadley but nevertheless charged rent, why is this and what is this?

It is rare for properties in Monken Hadley and has limited impact for conveyancing in Monken Hadley but some freehold properties in England (particularly common in North West England) pay an annual sum known as a Chief Rent or a Rentcharge to a third party who has no other legal interest in the land.

Rentcharge payments are usually between £2.00 and £5.00 per year. Rentcharges date back hundreds of years, but the Rent Charge Act 1977 barred the creation of fresh rentcharges post 1977.

Previous rentcharges can now be redeemed by making a lump sum payment under the Act. Any rentcharges that are still in existence post 2037 is to be dispensed with completely.

Do I have to visit the offices of the solicitor to execute the mortgage deed? If so, I will instruct a firm who offer conveyancing in Monken Hadley so that I can pop in to their offices if necessary.

As opposed to twenty years ago, almost all mortgage companies no longer need their conveyancing panel solicitor to witness the borrowers signature. You will still be obliged to supply identification documents and there are still manifest advantages to choosing a locally based ayer, in your situation a conveyancing solicitor in Monken Hadley.

I have recentlyfound out that Arc property Solicitors have closed. They conducted my conveyancing in Monken Hadley for a purchase of a freehold house 12 months ago. How can I establish that my home is not still registered in the name of the previous owner?

The quickest method to see if the premises is in your name, you can make a search of the land registry (£3.00). You can either do this yourself or ask a law firm to do this for you. If you are not registered you can seek help from one of a number of Monken Hadley conveyancing specialists.

My husband and I are first time buyers - agreed a price, yet the estate agent told us that the vendor will only move forward if we instruct their recommended conveyancers as they are insisting on a ‘quick sale’. Our preferred option is to instruct a local solicitor used to conveyancing in Monken Hadley

We suspect that the seller is not behind this request. Should the seller desire ‘a quick sale', alienating a motivated purchaser is likely to cause more damage than good. Contact the vendors directly and make sure they understand (a)you are keen to buy (b)you are ready to progress, with finances arranged © you have nothing to sell (d) you wish to move quickly (e)however you are going to instruct your own,trusted Monken Hadley conveyancing firm - rather thanthe ones that will earn their negotiator at the agency a commission or meet his conveyancing targets pre-set by HQ.