It is a dozen years since I acquired my home in Little Oakley. Conveyancing solicitors have recently been retained on the sale but I am unable to find the deeds. Is this a problem?

Don’t worry too much. Firstly there is a chance that the deeds will be retained by your lender or they may still be with the lawyers who handled your purchase. Secondly in most cases the land will be recorded at the land registry and you will be able to prove you are the registered owner by your conveyancing solicitors obtaining current official copies of the land registers. Nearly all conveyancing in Little Oakley involves registered property but in the rare situation where your property is not registered it is more tricky but is resolvable.

We just had an offer accepted to purchase with Coventry BS. We have called around locally yet am struggling to find a Little Oakley conveyancing firm on the Coventry BS approved list. Could you help?

You should make the most of the search tool on this web page. Pick the mortgage company and type Little Oakley or your preferred area and you will discover a number of lawyer offices in Little Oakley or by proximity to you.

Does a directory service exist listing Virgin Money panel solicitors in Little Oakley on the Building Society Association’s Website?

Unfortunately not yet. There is no such directory service on the Council of Mortgage Lenders or Building Society Association sites. A small selection of banks make their panel listings visible over the internet. Where you are in need of a Little Oakley conveyancing practitioner on the Virgin Money please use our facility.

My wife and I are at the point of looking at houses in Little Oakley and I am about to put in an offer. Is it premature to have a solicitor in place? I am planning to take a home loan with Kent Reliance.

It would be sensible to commence your search sooner rather than later. Once you decide who you want to use and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and pass their details on to the EA. Given that you are seeking a mortgage with Kent Reliance, ask your prospective lawyers if they are on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel otherwise they can't do the mortgage legal work.

I recently had an offer agreed on a house in Little Oakley. My mortgage broker recommended their conveyancers. I paid an upfront payment of £150. Shortly after, the conveyancing practitioner contacted me embarrassingly acknowledging that they were not on the Santander 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 Santander 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.

How does conveyancing in Little Oakley differ for newly converted properties?

Most buyers of new build property in Little Oakley contact us having been asked by the seller to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the property is constructed. This is because builders in Little Oakley tend to buy the real estate, 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 used to new build conveyancing in Little Oakley or who has acted in the same development.

Is there a reason that Little Oakley conveyancing fees are more expensive for leasehold and freehold properties?

Inevitably there is more work involved in leasehold conveyancing. Little Oakley has many leasehold properties. There is more hours involved in the purchase: for example, the lease and leasehold information (including current service charge, ground rent and buildings insurance details) obtained from the freeholder or managing agents. There are strict criteria that the lease must meet in order to be acceptable to a mortgage company. If it does not meet these requirements, the lease must be amended, which can involve additional expense for the seller.