I am getting a mortgage offer from Halifax. I intend to retain the legal services of a Licensed Conveyancer in Blakelaw. Does the Halifax Solicitor panel exclude conveyancers regulated by the CLC?

The Halifax conveyancing panel is, like many other lenders, associated to the CML or Building Society Association, open to Licensed Conveyancers regulated by the CLC.

My partner and I intend to remortgage our maisonette in Blakelaw with Nottingham. We have a son 19 who lives with us. Our solicitor requested us to identify anyone over the age of 17 other than ourselves who lives in the flat. The solicitor has now sent a form for our son to sign, waiving any legal rights in the event that the flat is forfeited by the lender. I have two questions (1) Is this document specific to the Nottingham conveyancing panel as he did not need to sign this form when we purchased 5 years ago (2) In signing this form is our son in any way compromising his right to inherit the property?

On the face of it your lawyer has done nothing wrong as it is established procedure for any occupier who is aged 17 or over to sign the necessary Consent Form, which is purely to state that any rights he has in the property are postponed and secondary to Nottingham. This is solely used to protect Nottingham if the property were re-possessed so that in such circumstances, your son would be legally obliged to leave. It does not impact your son’s right to inherit the apartment. Please note that if your son were to inherit and the mortgage in favour of Nottingham had not been discharged, he would be liable to take over the loan or pay it off, but other than that, there is nothing stopping him from keeping the property in accordance with your will or the rules of intestacy.

Finally the sale completed on my house in Blakelaw last August yet the purchaser is e-mailing every few hours complaining that his lawyer needs to hear from mysolicitor. What should my lawyer have done following completion?

Following your sale your solicitor should send the transfer deeds and all supplemental paperwork to the purchaser's lawyers. Where relevant, your lawyer must also confirm that the mortgage has been paid off to the buyers conveyancers. There is unlikely to be post completion requirements unique to conveyancing in Blakelaw.

I used Stirling Law several years past for my conveyancing in Blakelaw. I now require my file but the law firm is no longer operating. What do I do?

You should contact the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to help locate your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Blakelaw of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously used, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.

Due to exchange soon on a basement flat in Blakelaw. Conveyancing solicitors have said that they will have a report out to me tomorrow. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?

Your report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in Blakelaw should include some of the following:

What options are open to you if a neighbour breaches a clause of their lease? You should be informed what is to be regarded as a Nuisance as far as the lease is concerned Repair and maintenance of the premises It needs to be made clear to you if the lease permits you to add or upgrade anything in the premises- you should be made aware as to whether it applies to all alterations or just structural alteration, and whether consent is mandated necessary

Blakelaw Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Sample of Queries Prior to Purchasing

How many of the leaseholders are in arrears for their maintenance charge payments? Its a good idea to find out as much as you can about the managing agents as they will impact your use and enjoyment of the property. As the owner of a leasehold property you are often in the clutches of the managing agents from a financial perspective and when it comes to day to day matters like the upkeep of the common parts. Don't be afraid to ask other people what they think of their management. On a final note, investigate as to the dates that you are obliged pay the service charge to the managing agents and precisely how they are spending the funds. This question is useful as a) areas may cause problems for the building as the common areas may start to deteriorate where maintenance are not paid for b) if the leaseholders have an issue with the managing agents you will need to know about it