Am I correct in assuming that the fact that my conveyancer in Saxmundham is not identified on my lender's conveyancing panel that there is a problem with the quality of the firm’s work?

That is more than likely an incorrect assumption to make. There are plenty of reasonable explanations. Just recently a report by the solicitors regulator indicated that over three quarters of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The top 5 reasons are as follows: (1) lack of transactions (2) the solicitor is a sole practitioner (3) as part of the HSBC panel reduction (4) regulatory contact by SRA (5) accidental removal. Should you be concerned you should contact the Saxmundham conveyancing practice and ask them why they are no longer on the approved list for your mortgage company.

We are acquiring our first property. Our property lawyer has messagedto enquire if we want to take out additional conveyancing searches. We are really unsure what's recommended for conveyancing in Saxmundham

The quantity and type of Saxmundham conveyancing searches should be triggered based entirely on the property, the location, the likelihood of any of these risks, your knowledge of the area and risks, your overall appetite to risk. What matters is that you adequately comprehend what information the searches could provide. You may then decide if you personally think you need that search. Should you be unclear, ask the property lawyer to offer guidance.

Do lawyers ask for an advanced payment for my conveyancing in Saxmundham?

If you are buying a property in Saxmundham your lawyer will ask you to provide them with monies to cover the search fees. This will be the total of the cost of the Local Authority Search. If any down payment is payable against the purchase price then this should be required shortly ahead of contracts are exchanged. Any further balance that is due should be transferred a couple of days prior to the completion date.

is it true that all Saxmundham conveyancing solicitors on the Lloyds conveyancing panel are governed by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority?

As a firm of solicitors, in order to be on the Lloyds approved list of solicitors they would need to be regulated by the SRA. The majority of mortgage companies do permit licenced conveyancers on their panel in which case such organisation would be governed by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.

It is unclear whether my bank obliges me to make sure the lease term for the flat is extended prior to the completion date. I have called into my local Saxmundham bank branch on numerous occasions and was reassured it wasn't a problem and they would lend. My Saxmundham conveyancing solicitor - who is on the mortgage company conveyancing panel- telephoned to say that they refuse to lend based on their UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook minimum lease term requirements. I simply don't know who is right.

Provided that the conveyancing practitioner is on the bank approved list, they must follow the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook requirements for the bank. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that the mortgage company will go ahead, your lawyer has no choice but to refrain from exchanging contract and committing you to the purchase. We would suggest that you ask the mortgage company to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the number of years left on the lease.

I recently had an offer accepted on a house in Saxmundham. My mortgage broker suggested a property lawyer. I paid an upfront payment of £200. Soon after, the property lawyer contacted me to say that they were not on the Bank of Ireland 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 Bank of Ireland 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 am buying a new build apartment in Saxmundham. Conveyancing is daunting at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. Can you give me some examples of some of the questions asked in new build legal work.

Set out below is a sample of a selection of leasehold new build enquiries that you can expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Saxmundham

There must be mutual enforceability of lessee’s covenants. Where there is an Undertaking being granted there is the risk of forfeiture of the Headlease subject to relief if one or more of the Underlessees are willing to accept the original Head Lessee’s obligations as otherwise relief will be denied to the Underlessees. The only alternatives are the Head Lessor agreeing not to forfeit the Headlease or the Head Lessee guaranteeing to the Underlessees that it will not be in breach of the Headlease. Will the freehold then be transferred for a nominal consideration (not exceeding £100) to the Management Company? Has the Lease plan been approved by the Land Registry and if not when will they be lodged for this purpose? The Lease must contain a provision on behalf of the Vendor to pay the service charges in respect of unoccupied units in order to ensure that all services can be provided.