My husband and I are refinancing our apartment in Highnam with Barclays. We have a son 19 who lives at home. Our solicitor requested us to identify any adults other than ourselves who lives in the flat. The solicitor has now sent a form for our son to sign, giving up any rights in the event that the flat is repossessed. I have two questions (1) Is this document specific to the Barclays conveyancing panel as he did not need to sign this form when we bought 4 years ago (2) Does our son by signing this giving up his rights to inherit the property?

First, rest assured that your Barclays conveyancing panel solicitor is doing the right thing 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 Barclays. This is solely used to protect Barclays 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 Barclays 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.

Are all Highnam Conveyancing Quality Solicitors on the Barclays conveyancing panel?

A selection of banks and building societies now utilise the accreditation scheme as the starting point for Panel approval such as HSBC and Santander. CQS accreditation however is no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. That being said,the Council of Mortgage Lenders have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for solicitors wishing to join their panels.

I have today made my last payment due on my mortgage with Nationwide. I assume I don't need a Highnam conveyancer on the Nationwide panel to remove the mortgage at the Land Registry. Am I right?

If you have finished paying off your Nationwide mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the Nationwide mortgage from the register. Nationwide, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:

1. but are not moving to another property
2. where Nationwide has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
3. Nationwide has instructed the Land Registry to do so

I can not fathom if my mortgage offer obliges me to make sure the lease term for the flat is extended prior to the completion date. I have telephoned my Highnam building society branch on numerous occasions and was told they are content with the situation and they would lend. My Highnam conveyancing solicitor - who is on the bank conveyancing panel- telephoned and was told they would not lend based on their UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook minimum lease term requirements. I simply don't know who is right.

Provided that the conveyancer is on the bank panel, they must adhere to the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook requirements for the bank. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that the lender will go ahead, your lawyer has no choice but to refrain from exchanging contract and committing you to the purchase. We would suggest that you ask the mortgage company to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the number of years remaining.

Me and my brother own a renovated Georgian property in Highnam. Conveyancing solicitor acted for me and Alliance & Leicester . I did a free Land Registry search last week and there are a couple of entries: the first freehold, the second leasehold under the exact same address. If a house is not a freehold shouldn't I have been informed?

You need to assess the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register as there may be 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 Highnam and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they mortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with purchasers. You can also enquire as to the situation with the conveyancing solicitor who carried out the work.

I've found a house that seems to tick a lot of boxes, at a reasonable price which is making it more attractive. I have subsequently found out that it's a leasehold as opposed to freehold. I would have thought that there are particular concerns purchasing a house with a leasehold title in Highnam. Conveyancing solicitors have are about to be appointed. Will they explain the issues?

Most houses in Highnam are freehold and not leasehold. In this scenario it’s worth having a local conveyancer who is familiar with the area who can assist with the conveyancing process. it is apparent that you are purchasing in Highnam so you should seriously consider looking for a Highnam conveyancing solicitor and be sure that they have experience in advising on leasehold houses. As a matter of priority you will need to check the number of years remaining. As a lessee you will not be at liberty to do whatever you want with the house. The lease will likely included provisions such as obtaining the freeholder’spermission to carry out alterations. It may be necessary to pay a maintenance charge towards the upkeep of the communal areas where the house is located on an estate. Your conveyancer will report to you on the legal implications.

I purchased a 1st floor flat in Highnam, conveyancing was carried out in 1997. Can you please calculate a probable premium for a statutory lease extension? Similar properties in Highnam with over 90 years remaining are worth £197,000. The ground rent is £55 invoiced annually. The lease comes to an end on 21st October 2080

With just 56 years remaining on your lease the likely cost is going to be between £29,500 and £34,000 as well as costs.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure without more detailed investigations. You should not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt additional issues that need to be taken into account and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you move forward based on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.

I have been Googling for Highnam online conveyancing estimates. Can I be sure that all the Highnam practices that are listed on your site are on the mortgage company conveyancing panel?

The solicitor and licensed conveyancing practices on our directory have assured us via an online form that they are on the mortgage company panel and agreed to advise us to take down their listing in the event of removal off of the bank panel. To date we have not been informed by either a mortgage company or a member of the public that the data about a specific Highnam conveyancing solicitor being on the mortgage company conveyancing panel is incorrect.