My conveyancer has discovered a a problem with the lease for the apartment we are buying in North Cheam. The other side have put forward title insurance as a solution. We are happy with insurance and will pay for it. Our conveyancer has advised that he must check that the mortgage company is willing to move forward with this solution. Who is the client here, us or the mortgage company ?

The short answer to your last question is that, notwithstanding the risk of a conflict of interest, you and the mortgage company are the client. Your conveyancer must comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook conditions. The UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook conditions require your lawyer to disclose issues such as defects with the lease so that the bank can be afforded the opportunity to check with their valuer as to the extent that the value of the property is affected. Should you refuse to allow your lawyer to make the appropriate notification then your solicitor will have no choice but to discontinue acting for you.

My stepmother pointed out to me me that in purchasing a property in North Cheam there may be various restrictions preventing external changes to a property. Is this right?

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

We had appointed conveyancing lawyers with offices in North Cheam on the HSBC solicitor panel. They have just billed me an additional fee for the legal aspects of the HSBC mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee set by HSBC?

Provided it is contained in their Terms of Engagement or estimate then yes your solicitor may levy a fee for this. This fee is not set by HSBC but by your North Cheam conveyancing practitioner. Numerous firms on the HSBC panel will levy an ‘acting for lender’ fee but some firms include it on their overall fee.

I'm in the throws of viewing houses in North Cheam and I am now considering a potential offer. Is it premature to have a solicitor in place? I intend to finance via a mortgage with Barclays.

It would be prudent to commence your search sooner rather than later. After you have chosen your lawyer and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and pass their details on to the estate agent. As you are taking out a mortgage with Barclays, ask your prospective lawyers if they are on the Barclays conveyancing panel otherwise they can't do the mortgage legal work.

Should my lawyer be asking questions about flooding during the conveyancing in North Cheam.

Flooding is a growing risk for lawyers specialising in conveyancing in North Cheam. Some people will acquire a house in North Cheam, completely expectant that at some time, it may suffer from flooding. However, leaving to one side the physical damage, where a house is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to obtain a mortgage, satisfactory insurance cover, or dispose of the property. There are steps that can be taken during the course of a property purchase to forewarn the purchaser.

Conveyancers are not qualified to offer advice on flood risk, but there are a numerous checks that can be carried out by the buyer or on a buyer’s behalf which should figure out the risks in North Cheam. The standard information given to a purchaser’s lawyer (where the solicitors are adopting what is known as the Conveyancing Protocol) contains a standard inquiry of the owner to find out whether the premises has historically flooded. If the premises has been flooded in past and is not disclosed by the owner, then a purchaser may issue a legal claim for losses as a result of such an misleading reply. The purchaser’s conveyancers may also commission an enviro report. This will higlight whether there is any known flood risk. If so, additional investigations should be carried out.

I am using a search engine for the words on line conveyancing in North Cheam it shows results of numerous property lawyersin the area. How do I determine which is the suitable solicitor for the sale of my house?

The ideal way of finding a suitable conveyancer is via personal recommendation, so enquire of colleagues and relatives who have purchased a property in North Cheam or a reputable estate agent or financial adviser. Fees for conveyancing in North Cheam vary, so it's advisable to request a minimum of four costs illustrations from different conveyancers. Be sure to secure confirmation that the fees are fixed.

Our bank agreed in principle to issue us a mortgage. We instructed a long established conveyancer in North Cheam last week. A couple of hours ago, our broker contacted us saying that the lender said that we cannot use our solicitor as they aren't on their 'approved list'. As novices, we did not have a clue that the lender had a say Is this allowed?

You are at liberty to use any property lawyer you want to instruct including the said conveyancer in North Cheam but if they are not on the your lender's approved list you will have to incur additional cost so the mortgage company can retain their own lawyers. sometimes it is conceivable that your preferred conveyancing firm to get included on to the mortgage company list of approved firms. Do make the most of web-based tools including lenderpanel.com to find a conveyancing solcitor in North Cheam on the lender panel. You can go into your high street mortgage company branch in North Cheam. They will know some good conveyancing solicitors in North Cheam on the panel for your bank.