At long last a loan offer from NatWest for the refinancing of my 4 room apartment is to be issued by the end of next week. Could you propose a low cost conveyancing lawyer in Berrylands?

You have arrived at the wrong place to search for a cheap conveyancing in Berrylands. Our goal is to offer cost effective conveyancing but our intention is not to advertise as being the cheapest. Avoid the trap of appointing organisations offering low cost conveyancing in Berrylands. The optimum result, in choosing a lawyer for low cost conveyancing, you will earn what you pay for and at worst you will end up invoiced for extras and still not get the service required.

The Berrylands conveyancing solicitors that I appointed last week on my house acquisition in Berrylands have without warning closed. I chose them because I had to have a solicitor on the Skipton conveyancing panel and my preferred Berrylands lawyer was not. I cut them a cheque for two hundred pounds in advance. What should be my next steps?

If you have an estate agent involved then inform them straight away so that they advise the vendors that there may be a slight delay due to reasons beyond your control. Most sellers would be sympathetic and urge their lawyer to send a new set of papers to your new solicitors. You should appoint new lawyers that are on the Skipton conveyancing panel and notify the lender. If you have paid over any money, it will hopefully be held by the SRA as money in an intervened firm's bank accounts is transferred to the SRA. Then, the SRA or the intervention agent looks at the intervened firm's accounts to work out who the money belongs to. To claim your money you will need to contact the SRA. If the SRA cannot return money you are owed from the firm's bank accounts, or if they can only return part of the money, you can apply to the Compensation Fund for a grant. Your new lawyers should be in a position to help.

We previously instructed conveyancers located in Berrylands on the Kent Reliance solicitor panel. They are now charging me an additional sum for dealing with the Kent Reliance mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee set by Kent Reliance?

As unfair as it may appear, as long as it’s in their Terms and Conditions or estimate then yes your solicitor is entitled to levy a fee for this. This charge is not dictated by Kent Reliance but by your Berrylands lawyer. Some firms on the Kent Reliance panel will levy ’dealing with mortgage’ fee but many firms incorporate it on their overall fee.

We have agreed to purchase a house in Berrylands. One unusual aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Kent Reliance have issued a mortgage offer so presumably this is not a concern to them. Why is my solicitor raising questions about the panel?

Given that your lender is Kent Reliance your lawyer must follow the formal instructions set out in Part 2 of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Kent Reliance. The CML Handbook stipulates minimum provisions for solar panel roof-space leases, and solicitors are required to report to Kent Reliance where a lease fails to meet these conditions. The provisions relate to the installation of panels on properties countrywide and is not isolated to Berrylands.

I have paid off my mortgage with Co-operative. I assume I don't need a Berrylands property lawyer on the Co-operative panel to remove the mortgage at the Land Registry. Am I right?

If you have finished paying off your Co-operative mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the Co-operative mortgage from the register. Co-operative, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:

1. but are not moving to another property
2. where Co-operative has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
3. Co-operative has instructed the Land Registry to do so

Just had an offer accepted on a new build apartment in Berrylands. 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.

Here is a sample of a few leasehold new build enquiries that you can expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Berrylands

There must be mutual enforceability of lessee’s covenants. Please confirm the Lease plans are surveyor prepared. Will the freehold then be transferred for a nominal consideration (not exceeding £100) to the Management Company? Will control of the Management Company (if any) be handed over to purchasers on completion of the last sale or earlier?

Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold element on a property I put an offer in two weeks back in what was supposed to be a quick, no chain conveyancing. Berrylands is the location of the property. Can you shed any light on this issue?

Flying freeholds in Berrylands are not the norm but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside Berrylands you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds thoroughly. Your bank may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Berrylands may decide that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold residence.