What happens if my lawyer’s firm is suspended from the Aldermore Conveyancing panel ahead of completing my conveyancing in Stony Stratford?

The first thing to point out is that, this is a very rare occurrence. In most cases even where a law firm is removed off of a panel the lender would allow the completion to go ahead as the lender would appreciate the difficulties that they would place you in if you have to instruct a new solicitor days before completion. In a worst case scenario where the lender insists that you instruct a new firm then it is possible for a very good lawyer to expedite the conveyancing albeit that you may pay a significant premium for this. The analogous situation is where a buyer instructs a lawyer, exchanges contracts and the law firm is shut down by a regulator such as the SRA. Again, in this situation you can find lawyers who can troubleshoot their way to bring the conveyancing to a satisfactory conclusion - albeit at a cost.

Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly picked up during conveyancing in Stony Stratford?

Restrictive covenants can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the legal transfer of property in Stony Stratford. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’

I am looking for a ground for flat up to £305k and identified one close by in Stony Stratford I like with a park and railway links nearby, however it's only got 61 years on the lease. There is not much else in Stony Stratford in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake buying a short lease?

Should you require a home loan the shortness of the lease may be an issue. Discount the offer by the amount the lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the existing proprietor has owned the property for a minimum of 2 years you may ask them to start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the current lease term with a zero ground rent applied. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor regarding this.

I need to instruct a conveyancing solicitor in Stony Stratford for my house move. Is there any facility to review a firm’s complaints history with the profession’s regulator?

You can see presented Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) determinations stemming from investigations commenced on or after 1 January 2008. Go to Check a solicitor's record. To find information Pre 2008, or to check a solicitors record, telephone 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 any week day save for Tuesday when lines open at 9.30am. International callers, call +44 (0)121 329 6800. The SRA sometimes monitor telephone calls for training requirements.

I have just started marketing my garden flat in Stony Stratford.Conveyancing has not commenced but I have just had a quarterly service charge invoice – should I leave it to the buyer to sort out?

Your conveyancing lawyer is likely to suggest that you should discharge the maintenance contribution as usual as all ground rent and service charges will be apportionedon completion, so you will be reimbursed by the buyer for the period running from after the completion date to the next payment date. Most management companies will not acknowledge the buyer until the service charges have been paid and are up to date so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. This will smooth the conveyancing process