I am purchasing a leasehold flat in Harold Wood. My Solicitor is not on the lender solicitor panel. Is it possible for me to appoint my Harold Wood conveyancing solicitor even though they are excluded from the mortgage company panel of approved conveyancing solicitors?

You will need to appoint a property lawyer to complete the formalities when you take out a loan to buy your property. They will conduct all the appropriate due diligence on the property, ensuring that you will be registered as proprietor and ensure that all the necessary mortgage documentation is in place. You may select a Harold Wood lawyer of your choice. However, where the conveyancer appointed is not a member of the mortgage company approved list supplemental costs will arise as separate legal representation will be need by the bank. Bank panel applications may be submitted, so provided your conveyancer has not historically sought membership they should take the opportunity to apply.

We have agreed to purchase a house in Harold Wood. One unusual aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Skipton 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 Skipton your lawyer must check the formal instructions contained in Part 2 of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Skipton. The CML Handbook includes minimum specifications for solar panel roof-space leases, and conveyancing practitioners are required to report to Skipton where a lease does not satisfy these requirements. The specifications relate to the installation of panels on properties nationwide and is not limited to Harold Wood.

The mortgage over my property is with Nationwide for my property in Harold Wood. Conveyancing has been completed some time ago. In the event that I decide to rent out my property and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a buy-to-let mortgage or inform Nationwide?

Nationwide must be informed of your intention prior to letting out your property as this is likely to be a breach of Nationwide’s mortgage conditions. It may be that Nationwide will allow you to rent out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact Nationwide directly. It should not be necessary to do this via a Nationwide conveyancing panel firm.

I am selling my apartment. I had a double glazing fitted in April 2006, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My purchaser’s mortgage company, Virgin Money are being a right pain. The Harold Wood solicitor who is on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel is recommending indemnity insurance as a solution but Virgin Money are insisting on a building regulation certificate. Why do Virgin Money have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?

It is probably the case that Virgin Money have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Virgin Money 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'm buying a new build house in Harold Wood with the aid of help to buy. The developers refused to reduce the price so I negotiated £7000 of fixtures and fittings instead. The house builders rep advised me not reveal to my lawyer about the deal as it will affect my loan with the lender. Do I keep my lawyer in the dark?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the developer of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.

Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.

Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.

I am looking for a ground for flat up to £305k and found one round the corner in Harold Wood I like with a park and railway links nearby, the downside is that it's only got 61 years on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Harold Wood in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error purchasing a short lease?

Should you require a mortgage the remaining unexpired lease term will be problematic. Discount the offer by the amount the lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current owner has owned the premises for a minimum of 2 years you could ask them to start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease term with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer regarding this matter.

I am using a search engine for the phrase cheap conveyancing in Harold Wood it shows results of many property lawyerslocally. How do I determine which is the right solicitor for me?

The best way of seeking the right conveyancer is through a trusted referral, so seek the guidance of colleagues and family who have acquired a property in Harold Wood or a reputable estate agent or financial adviser. Fees for conveyancing in Harold Wood differ, so it's advisable to request a minimum of three estimates from different companies. Dont forget to clarify what costs in the quote includes.