We are a couple about to sign contracts for a leasehold flat in Sheringham. We have hit a snag. The mortgage offer with Virgin Money expires on 27/1/2026 but the sellers are insisting on a completion date of 29/1/2026. Is it possible to prolong the loan offer?

The person best placed to deal with your question is your lawyer who should assess whether they better off negotiating with the lender, seller’s solicitors, property agents or conceivably all three taking into account what has gone on in your house move to date.

Will conveyancers ask for money on account when it comes to conveyancing in Sheringham?

If you are buying a property in Sheringham your lawyer will ask you place them with monies to cover the the cost of the conveyancing searches. Ordinarily this is called for to cover the fees of the conveyancing searches. If any down payment is payable against the purchase price then this will be asked for shortly ahead of exchange of contracts. Any further balance that is due should be transferred shortly before completion.

The mortgage over my property is with Skipton for my property in Sheringham. Conveyancing has been completed 12 months ago. If I am intending to rent out the flat and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a buy-to-let mortgage or inform Skipton?

Skipton must be informed of your intention prior to renting your property as this is likely to be a breach of Skipton’s mortgage conditions. In many cases banks or building societies will allow you to rent out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact Skipton directly. It should not be necessary to do this via a Skipton conveyancing panel lawyer.

I can not fathom if my lender obliges me to make sure the lease term for the flat is extended prior to the completion date. I have telephoned my Sheringham building society branch on various occasions and was advised it wasn't a problem and they would lend. My Sheringham conveyancing solicitor - who is on the mortgage company conveyancing panel- called and was told they refuse to lend in accordance with their specific requirements. I simply don't know who is right.

The solicitor must follow the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook Part 2 provisions for your lender. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that the lender 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 remaining.

After weeks of negotiation I have agreed a price on an apartment in Sheringham. My mortgage broker recommended their conveyancers. I paid an upfront payment of £200. A few days later, the property lawyer called me embarrassingly acknowledging that they were not on the Barclays 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 Barclays 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.

It has been three months since my purchase conveyancing in Sheringham concluded. I have checked the Land Registry website which shows that I paid £175,000 when infact I paid £170,000. Why the discrepancy?

The price paid figure is taken from the application to register the purchase. It is the figure included in the Transfer (the legal deed which transfers the residence from one person to the other) and referred to as the 'consideration' or purchase price. You can report an error in the price paid figure using the LR online form. In most cases errors result from typos so at first glance the figure. Do report it so they can double check and advise.

At long last our conveyancing in Sheringham is completing on Friday, however the owners I am buying off has asked to vacate 24 hours later at PM. Do I accept such a idea?

If you need a mortgage then your solicitor will insist that the property isvacant on Friday - the bank will insist on it.