I am obtaining a mortgage offer from Santander. I would like to employ the services of a Licensed Conveyancer in Leominster. Does the Santander Conveyancing panel include Licensed Conveyancers?

The Santander approved solicitor list is, like many other lenders, represented by the CML or Building Society Association, open to Licensed Conveyancers regulated by the CLC.

A relative informed me that in purchasing a property in Leominster there could be a number of restrictions prohibiting external changes to the property. Is this right?

There are a number of properties in Leominster which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to perform external alterations. Part of the conveyancing in Leominster should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.

I am being told by my lawyer that flying freehold insurance is needed on my purchase. What is the level of cover for Leominster conveyancing?

The right level of flying freehold indemnity insurance should be dictated by who who your lender is. It would differ for example between National Westminster Bank and Leeds Building Society. Conveyancing solicitors as opposed to members of the public take out such policies.

I happen to be the single recipient of my late mum's estate and I have everything in my name alone, including the my former home in Leominster. The Leominster property was put into my name in October. I now wish to sell up. I do know about the Mortgage Lenders 6 month 'rule', meaning my proprietorship could be regarded the same way as though I had purchased the house in October. Do I have to wait 6 months to sell?

The CML handbook obliges solicitors to: "report to us immediately if the owner or registered proprietor has been registered for less than six months." Technically you might be impacted by that. many banks would take a sensible view as this requirement is principally there to pick up on the purchase and immediately sell or the wholesaling and assigning of properties.

How does conveyancing in Leominster differ for newly converted properties?

Most buyers of new build or newly converted property in Leominster come to us having been asked by the seller to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the house is ready to move into. This is because new home sellers in Leominster usually buy the site, 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 conveyancers 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 Leominster or who has acted in the same development.

I have been on the look out for a ground for flat up to £245,000 and identified one round the corner in Leominster I like with amenity areas and transport links nearby, however it's only got 52 years on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Leominster suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake acquiring a short lease?

If you require a home loan the remaining unexpired lease term will be an issue. Reduce the price by the expected lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the existing owner has owned the property for at least twenty four months you can request that they start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should consult your conveyancing solicitor concerning this matter.

I pay a service charge for my appartment in Leominster. As a result of personal circumstances I slipped into arrears with payments. The managing agents agreed a settlement schedule but there is still two outstanding at the current time.

I now wish to sell and I am panicking this could jeopardize the sale if I have to settle the amount due now. I'd like to sell up and then repay the arrears from the proceeds - is this practicable?

Your solicitor will hopefully be in a position to negotiate with the appropriate parties, with a new to seeing if they would accept settlement out of the sale proceeds. This is an example of why it might be good to appoint a conveyancing practitioner in Leominster as they are likely to have an open line of communication with the management company.