Please help. My Downham Market solicitor is advising me that he is legally obliged toconduct Downham Market conveyancing searches asthe firm are on the Virgin Moneyapproved lawyer panel. Do I not have a choice here?

You have limited options available to you. As you are taking a home loan with a mortgage company your conveyancing practitioner has to comply with their conditions as set out in their version of the CML Conveyancing Handbook. Your solicitor would have previously signed the Terms and Conditions of your lender’s conveyancing panel appointment which obliges them to comply with the CML Handbook conditions . Even if you were a cash buyer you would be ill advised not to carry out Downham Market conveyancing searches.

We previously appointed solicitors located in Downham Market on the Bank of Ireland solicitor approved list. They have just billed me an additional amount for handling the Bank of Ireland mortgage. Is this a supplemental conveyancing fee specified by Bank of Ireland?

As unfair as it may appear, as long as it’s in their Terms and Conditions or Quote then yes your conveyancer may levy a fee for this. The fee is not set by Bank of Ireland but by your Downham Market lawyer. Some firms on the Bank of Ireland panel will quote an ‘acting for lender’ fee and others do not.

I recently had an offer agreed on a house in Downham Market. My mortgage broker recommended their conveyancers. I paid an upfront payment of £175. A couple of days later, the conveyancer contacted me embarrassingly acknowledging that they were not on the Co-operative conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?

You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Co-operative panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.

I am due to exchange contracts on my house. I had a double glazing fitted in December 2010, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My purchaser’s lender, Santander are being pedantic. The Downham Market solicitor who is on the Santander conveyancing panel is happy to accept ‘lack of building regulation’ insurance but Santander are requiring a building regulation certificate. Why do Santander have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?

It is probably the case that Santander have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Santander may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing was correctly and safely installed. The indemnity insurance merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.

I need some quick conveyancing in Downham Market as I am under an ultimatum to complete in less than one month. Luckily I do not need a mortgage. Is it possible to avoid the conveyancing searches to save fees and time?

If.Given you are are a cash buyer you have the choice not to do searches although no solicitor would suggest that you don't. Drawing on years of experience of conveyancing in Downham Market the following are instances of what can appear and adversely impact future saleability: Refused Planning Applications, Overdue Fees, Overdue Grants, Road Schemes,...

Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold issue on a house I have offered on last month in what was supposed to be a straight forward, no chain conveyancing. Downham Market is where the house is located. Is there any guidance you can give?

Flying freeholds in Downham Market are not the norm but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside Downham Market you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds very carefully. Your bank may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Downham Market 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.

My wife and I purchased a leasehold flat in Downham Market. Conveyancing and Yorkshire Building Society mortgage organised. I have received a letter from someone claiming to own the reversionary interest in the property. Attached was a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1998. The conveyancing practitioner in Downham Market who previously acted has now retired. Do I pay?

The first thing you should do is contact HMLR to be sure that the individual purporting to own the freehold is indeed the new freeholder. It is not necessary to instruct a Downham Market conveyancing lawyer to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for less than a fiver. Rest assured that regardless, even if this is the rightful freeholder, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.

I acquired a basement flat in Downham Market, conveyancing having been completed half a dozen years ago. How much will my lease extension cost? Corresponding flats in Downham Market with over 90 years remaining are worth £260,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £45 invoiced annually. The lease ends on 21st October 2098

You have 74 years left to run the likely cost is going to be between £8,600 and £9,800 as well as plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to provide the actual costs in the absence of comprehensive investigations. You should not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be additional concerns that need to be considered and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward placing reliance on this information before getting professional advice.