I am buying residence in Bishops Castle. My Conveyancer has never been on on the lender conveyancing list. Am I still permitted to continue with my Bishops Castle conveyancing solicitor notwithstanding that they are excluded from the lender panel?

One must have a property lawyer to deal with the legal work required when you require a mortgage to buy your home. They will carry out all the essential due diligence on the property, ensuring that you’re registered as proprietor and ensure that all the required mortgage documentation is dealt with. One may appoint a Bishops Castle solicitor of your choosing. However, where the lawyer selected is not on the bank conveyancing panel further fees will be incurred as separate legal representation will be need by the lender. Lender panel applications may be submitted, so provided your solicitor has not in the past applied for membership they should do so.

We note that you have a post code search directory listing firms on the Santander conveyancing panel. Do companies pay you a commission if I appoint them for our conveyancing in Bishops Castle?

We are a listing service only for law firms wishing to communicate if they are on the Santander conveyancing panel or other lender panels. We do not charge referral fees to any conveyancer that you subsequently appoint for your conveyancing in Bishops Castle.

I am considering applying for a Skipton mortgage for purchase of a newly converted (under development) in Bishops Castle with 65 per cent loan to value. Is it compulsory to choose a solicitor on the conveyancing panel for Skipton ?

There is nothing to stop you using your solicitor, but Skipton will insist on their interests being represented by a firm on their conveyancing panel. There is greater potential for delays and confusion with two solicitors involved, and it will undoubtedly be more expensive too.

Can you provide any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Bishops Castle with the aim of saving time on the sale process?

• Much of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Bishops Castle can be reduced where you appoint lawyers the minute your agents start marketing the property and ask them to put together the leasehold information needed by the buyers’ solicitors.
If you have carried out any alterations to the residence would they have required Landlord’s approval? In particular have you installed wooden flooring? Bishops Castle leases often stipulate that internal structural alterations or addition of wooden flooring require a licence from the Landlord approving such alterations. Where you dont have the consents to hand do not communicate with the landlord without checking with your solicitor before hand. You may think that you are aware of the number of years remaining on your lease but it would be advisable verify this by asking your conveyancers. A purchaser's conveyancer will not be happy to advise their client to proceed with the purchase of a leasehold property the remaining number of years is below 75 years. It is therefore essential at an early stage that you identify whether the lease term for your property needs extending. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your home on the market for sale. If there is a history of any disputes with your landlord or managing agents it is very important that these are resolved before the property is marketed. The purchasers and their solicitors will be nervous about purchasing a property where there is an ongoing dispute. You may need to swallow your pride and pay any arrears of service charge or settle the dispute prior to the buyers completing the purchase. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled prior to the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You are still duty bound to disclose details of the dispute to the purchasers, but it is clearly preferable to present the dispute as over rather than ongoing.

Bishops Castle Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Sample of Queries before Purchasing

The best form of lease arrangement is if the freehold title is in the ownership of the leaseholders. In this situation the tenants benefit from control and notwithstanding that a managing agent is usually retained if it is bigger than a house conversion, the managing agent employed by the leaseholders. In the main the cost for major works are not included within maintenance charges, although there some managing agents in Bishops Castle ask leaseholders to contribute towards a reserve fund and this is used to offset against larger repairs or maintenance. It would be prudent to discover as much as you can concerning the managing agents as they can either make life much simpler or problematic. Being a leasehold owner you are often at the mercy of the managing agents from a financial perspective and when it comes to practical issues like the tidiness of the common parts. Enquire of prospective neighbours what they think of them. In conclusion, be sure you discover the dates that you are obliged pay the service charge to the relevant party and specifically what it includes.

Do I stop the direct debit for my mortgage with Nationwide once a completion date for my sale in Bishops Castle has been agreed?

No, you must maintain paying any mortgage sums to Nationwide pending the mortgage being repaid from the proceeds of sale as part of your Bishops Castle conveyancing.