My partner and I are looking to buy a flat in Hunstanton and are in fact using a Hunstanton conveyancing firm. Within the past 48 hours our conveyancer has sent a preliminary report and documents to look through with a view to exchanging next week. Birmingham Midshires have this evening contacted us to advise us that they have now hit a problem as our Hunstanton solicitor is not on their approved list of lawyers. Is this a problem?

When purchasing a property with mortgage finance it is normal for the purchasers' solicitors to also act for the purchaser's lender. In order to act for a bank or building society a law firm has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the law firm to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the firm has to satisfy and indeed some lenders now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme. Your solicitor should contact your mortgage company and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own lawyers to represent them. You are not legally obliged to appoint a law firm on the bank's conveyancing panel as you are at liberty to use your preferred Hunstanton lawyers, in which case your legal fees may increase, and it will likely delay the transaction as you have another set of people involved.

I own a freehold residence in Hunstanton but nevertheless pay rent, why is this and what is this?

It’s unusual for properties in Hunstanton and has limited impact for conveyancing in Hunstanton but some freehold properties in England (particularly common in North West England) pay an annual sum known as a Chief Rent or a Rentcharge to a third party who has no other legal interest in the land.

Rentcharge payments are usually between £2.00 and £5.00 per year. Rentcharges have existed for many centuries, but the Rent Charge Act 1977 barred the creation of new rentcharges from 1977 onwards.

Old rentcharges can now be extinguished by making a lump sum payment under the Act. Any rentcharges that are still in existence in 2037 is to be dispensed with completely.

We had instructed conveyancers located in Hunstanton on the Co-operative solicitor panel. They have just invoiced me an additional fee for dealing with the Co-operative mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee set by Co-operative?

Provided it is contained in their Terms of Engagement or Quote then yes your solicitor can charge a fee for this. This charge is not dictated by Co-operative but by your Hunstanton conveyancer. Numerous firms on the Co-operative panel will quote an ‘acting for lender’ fee and others do not.

My husband and I have arranged the release of further monies on our mortgage from Barclays as we intend to carry out improvements to our property in Hunstanton. Do we need to appoint a high street Hunstanton solicitor on the Barclays conveyancing panel to deal with the legals?

Barclays do not ordinarily require firms on their approved list of lawyers to deal with the formalities. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Barclays panel.

Having read lots of mortgage guides, I note that it is considered advisable to get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Hunstanton solicitor - who is on the Aldermore conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. is that correct?

Aldermore will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Aldermore will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. Your lawyer will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by your Hunstanton postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Aldermore, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Hunstanton.

I am looking for a ground for flat up to £305k and identified one close by in Hunstanton I like with a park and transport links in the vicinity, however it only has 51 years unexpired on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Hunstanton in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake purchasing a lease with such few years left?

Should you require a home loan the shortness of the lease will likely be problematic. Reduce the offer by the expected lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the existing owner has owned the property for at least 2 years you could request that they start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the current lease term with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing solicitor about this matter.

Is it possible to transfer to a new firm as I need to find a firm on the TSB conveyancing panel. I hired a family conveyancing solicitor in Hunstanton five minutes from me but she is not accepted by TSB

We will our best to assist in finding you a conveyancing solicitor in Hunstanton on the TSB panel. Please note that the conveyancers that we work with do not pay us fee if you instruct them and are registered with the SRA who oversee all conveyancing solicitors in Hunstanton. In utilising search facility on this website, you can compare charges for conveyancing solicitors in Hunstanton and throughout England and Wales.