My conveyancer has identified a defect with the lease for the flat we are purchasing in Holt. The seller’s lawyers have suggested title insurance as a solution. We are happy with insurance and will cover the costs. Our solicitor has advised that he must check that the bank is content with this solution. Are we the client or is the lender?

Regardless of the fact that you have a mortgage offer from the mortgage company does not mean to say that the property will meet their specifications for the purposes of a mortgage. Your lawyer has to ensure that the lease has to comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook specifications. You and the lender are the client. These conveyancing instructions must be adhered to.

We have agreed to purchase a house in Holt. A rare aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Solicitors conducting should look into this right? Will my lender Lloyds be concerned?

Given that your lender is Lloyds your lawyer must check the formal instructions set out in Section two of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Lloyds. The CML Handbook contains minimum specifications for solar panel roof-space leases, and conveyancers are required to report to Lloyds where a lease fails to comply with these provisions. The provisions relate to the installation of panels on properties nationwide and is not isolated to Holt.

It is not clear whether my lender requires a lease extension. I have called into my local Holt bank branch on a couple of occasions and was told they are content with the situation and they will lend. My Holt conveyancing solicitor - who is on the lender conveyancing panel- telephoned to say that they would not lend in accordance with their specific requirements. Who do I believe?

Provided that the conveyancer is on the bank approved list, they must follow the CML Handbook provisions for the bank. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that the mortgage company 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 bank to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the number of years remaining.

After months of negotiation I have agreed a price on a house in Holt. My mortgage broker recommended their conveyancers. I paid an advanced payment of £150. A couple of days later, the conveyancer called me embarrassingly acknowledging that they were not on the Nationwide 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 Nationwide 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.

Do commercial conveyancing searches disclose planned roadworks that may affect a commercial premises in Holt?

Many commercial conveyancing solicitors in Holt will execute a SiteSolutions Highways report as it reduces the time that conveyancers spend in investigating accurate data on highways that impact buildings and development assets in Holt. The report sets out definitive data on the adoption status of roads, footpaths and verges, as well as the implication of traffic schemes and the rights of way surrounding a commercial development sites in Holt.

For each commercial conveyancing transaction in Holt it is crucial to investigate the adoption status of roads surrounding a site. The absence of identifying developments where adoption procedures have not been addressed adequately may result in delays to Holt commercial conveyancing deals as well as pose a risk to future intentions for the site. These searches are not conducted for residential conveyancing in Holt.

Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold element on a house I have offered on two weeks back in what should have been a straight forward, chain free conveyancing. Holt is the location of the property. What do you suggest?

Flying freeholds in Holt are not the norm but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside Holt you would need to get your solicitor to go through the deeds thoroughly. Your lender may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Holt 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 property.

Can you provide any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Holt with the purpose of expediting the sale process?

• Much of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Holt can be bypassed where you appoint lawyers as soon as you market your property and request that they start to put together the leasehold documentation which will be required by the purchasers’ conveyancers.
A minority of Holt leases require Landlord’s consent to the sale and approval of the buyers. If this is the case, you should notify your estate agents to make sure that the purchasers obtain financial (bank) and professional references. The bank reference should make it clear that the buyer is financially capable of paying the annual service charge and the actual amount of the service charge should be quoted in the bank’s letter. You will therefore need to provide your estate agents with the service charge figures so that they can pass this information on to the buyers or their lawyers. If you have carried out any alterations to the premises would they have required Landlord’s permission? In particular have you laid down wooden flooring? Most leases in Holt state that internal structural changes or installing wooden flooring necessitate a licence issued by the Landlord consenting to such changes. Should you dont have the approvals to hand you should not communicate with the landlord without contacting your solicitor first. Many landlords or managing agents in Holt levy fees for providing management packs for a leasehold premises. You or your lawyers should discover the fee that they propose to charge. The management information can be applied for as soon as you have a buyer, thus reducing delays. The typical amount of time it takes to receive management information is three weeks. It is the most usual cause of frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Holt. You may think that you are aware of the number of years left on your lease but it would be wise to double-check by asking your conveyancers. A purchaser's lawyer will be unlikely to recommend their client to proceed with the purchase of a leasehold property the lease term is less than 75 years. It is therefore important at an as soon as possible that you identify whether the lease requires a lease extension. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your property on the market for sale.

Holt Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Examples of Queries Prior to Purchasing

Best to be warned whether changing the roof or some other major work is due in the near future to be shared amongst the leaseholders and will dramatically impact the level of the maintenance fees or result in a one off invoice. How much is the annual maintenance fee and ground rent? Many Holt leasehold flats will have a service charge for the upkeep of the block levied by the management company. Should you acquire the apartment you will have to meet this liability, usually periodically throughout the year. This could be anything from several hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for large purpose-built buildings. There will also be a ground rent for you to pay yearly, this is usually not a exorbitant figure, say around £25-£75 but you need to enquire as on occasion it can be many hundreds of pounds.