My husband and I have arranged a further advance on our mortgage from Barclays as we want to conduct a loft conversion to our home in Keyworth. Are we obliged to select a bricks and mortar Keyworth solicitor on the Barclays conveyancing panel to deal with the legals?

Barclays do not ordinarily instruct a member of their conveyancing panel to handle such a matter. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Barclays list.

Completion of my remortgage has taken place for my property in Keyworth. Conveyancing was of an acceptable standard but I feel I should register my dissatisfaction about the lender. How do I make a complaint?

All banks and building societies have complaints procedures. Your first point of contact should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Services Team at head office. Ordinarily complaints to a lender are sorted out effectively and efficiently. However if you are not satisfied that the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service, South Quay Plaza, 183 Marsh Wall, London E14 9SR with full details of your complaint.

After months of negotiation I have agreed a price on an apartment in Keyworth. My financial adviser suggested a solicitor. I paid an advanced payment of £200. A couple of days later, the lawyer called me to say that they were not on the Clydesdale 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 Clydesdale 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 require quick conveyancing in Keyworth as I have an ultimatum to sign on the dotted line within one month. Thankfully I do not require a mortgage. Is it possible to escape the need for conveyancing searches to save fees and time?

If.Given you are not getting a home loan you are at liberty not to do searches although no conveyancer would suggest that you don't. With lots of history conveyancing in Keyworth the following are instances of issues that can appear and therefore impact market value: Enforcement Notices, Overdue Charges, Outstanding Grants, Road Schemes,...

How does conveyancing in Keyworth differ for newly converted properties?

Most buyers of new build premises in Keyworth contact us having been asked by the seller to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the premises is finished. This is because builders in Keyworth tend to buy the land, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct conveyancing solicitors as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are accustomed to new build conveyancing in Keyworth or who has acted in the same development.

Taking into account that I will soon part with £400,000 on a two bedroom apartment in Keyworth I would like to talk to a conveyancer concerning thehouse move ahead of appointing the firm. Is this something that you can arrange?

This is something that we recommend - it is our preference to talk to you we do not take any clients on without you speaking to the lawyer who will be doing your property ownership legalities in Keyworth.There is no ‘factory style conveyancing’ - each client is an important individual, not a file number. The solicitors that we put you in touch with believe that the figure you are quoted for your conveyancing in Keyworth should be the figure that you are charged.

Do you have any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Keyworth from the perspective of saving time on the sale process?

• Much of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Keyworth can be avoided if you instruct lawyers as soon as you market your property and ask them to collate the leasehold information which will be required by the buyers’ solicitors.
In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s approval? Have you, for example laid down wooden flooring? Keyworth leases often stipulate that internal structural changes or laying down wooden flooring necessitate a licence issued by the Landlord approving such changes. Where you fail to have the paperwork to hand you should not contact the landlord without contacting your solicitor in advance. Some Keyworth leases require Landlord’s consent to the sale and approval of the buyers. If this applies to your lease, 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 able to meet the yearly 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 actual amount of the service charge so that they can pass this information on to the purchasers or their solicitors. If you have the benefit of shareholding in the Management Company, you should ensure that you are holding the original share certificate. Organising a replacement share certificate can be a time consuming formality and delays many a Keyworth conveyancing deal. If a new share certificate is necessary, do contact the company officers or managing agents (if relevant) for this as soon as possible.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Keyworth - Sample of Questions you should ask before Purchasing

Most Keyworth leasehold flats will be liable to pay a service charge for the upkeep of the building invoiced by the freeholder. Should you buy the flat you will have to pay this liability, usually in instalments accross the year. This may be anything from two or three hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for large purpose-built blocks. In all probability there will be a ground rent to be met annual, normally this is not a exorbitant amount, say approximately £50-£100 but you need to enquire as occasionally it can be prohibitively expensive. Is anyone aware of any major works in the near future that will increase the service costs? Are any of leasehold owners in dispute over their service charge liability?