We are a couple about to exchange contracts for a ground floor flat in Blagdon. We have hit a snag. The loan offer with Alliance & Leicester expires on 31/3/2025 but the sellers are putting forward a completion date of 2/4/2025. Can one prolong the loan expiry date?

The best person to deal with your question is your conveyancer who should calculate whether they better off negotiating with the mortgage company, vendor’s lawyers, estate agents or indeed all three taking into account the circumstances your conveyancing to date.

My colleague recommended that where I am buying in Blagdon I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?

This is a search is usually included in the estimate for your Blagdon conveyancing searches. It is not a small document of about 40 pages, listing and detailing significant information about Blagdon around the property and the people living there. It incorporates an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the local Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the type of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average House Prices, Crime statistics, Blagdon Education with plans and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data concerning Blagdon.

I purchased a renovated Georgian property in Blagdon. Conveyancing solicitor acted for me and Santander. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and I saw a couple of entries: the first freehold, another for leasehold under the exact same address. If a house is not a freehold shouldn't I have been informed?

You should review the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Blagdon and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they remortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with mortgage companies. You can also enquire as to the position with your conveyancing practitioner who conducted the purchase.

Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold issue on a property I put an offer in a fortnight ago in what was supposed to be a straight forward, chain free conveyancing. Blagdon is the location of the property. Can you shed any light on this issue?

Flying freeholds in Blagdon are rare but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside Blagdon you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds thoroughly. Your mortgage company may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Blagdon may determine 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 premises.

I have noted on various consumer advice websites that when choosing a conveyancing firm they must be approved by your mortgage company. I am novice purchaser but I have an offer in principle with Santander and I already have a local conveyancing lawyer in Blagdon on standby. Does Virgin Money require an approved solicitor to be used? If so, where can I find that list so I can appoint a conveyancing lawyer in Blagdon?

You should use a solicitor that is on the Virgin Money panel. Just telephone your preferred Blagdon conveyancing lawyer and ask if they are on the Virgin Money panel. If they are not on the panel you have numerous alternatives open to you here:

• Carry on with your preferred Blagdon conveyancer but Virgin Money will need to use a lawyer from their approved panel. The net impact is additional cost and potential delay.
• Get a fresh solicitor to conduct the conveyancing, making sure they are on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel.
• Convince your conveyancer to pull out all the stops to join the Virgin Money panel of solicitors.