The Port Isaac conveyancing solicitors that I appointed last week on my purchase in Port Isaac have without warning shut down. I chose them because I needed a firm on the RBS conveyancing panel and my preferred Port Isaac lawyer was not. I gave my credit card details for them to take one hundred and fifty pounds for searches. What are my options?

If you have an estate agent involved then let them know straight away so that they can let the sellers know that there may be a slight delay due to reasons beyond your control. Most sellers would be sympathetic and urge their lawyer to send a new set of papers to your new solicitors. You should appoint new lawyers that are on the RBS conveyancing panel and notify the lender. If you have paid over any money, it will hopefully be held by the SRA as money in an intervened firm's bank accounts is transferred to the SRA. Then, the SRA or the intervention agent looks at the intervened firm's accounts to work out who the money belongs to. To claim your money you will need to contact the SRA. If the SRA cannot return money you are owed from the firm's bank accounts, or if they can only return part of the money, you can apply to the Compensation Fund for a grant. Your new solicitors should be in a position to assist.

I am purchasing a detached bungalow in Port Isaac. We would like to carry out a loft conversion at the house.Will legal investigations on the property involve investigations to determine if these alterations are allowed?

Your conveyancer should review the registered title as conveyancing in Port Isaac will occasionally reveal restrictions in the title deeds which restrict categories of works or necessitated the consent of another owner. Many additions need local authority planning permissions and approval in compliance with building regulations. Many areas are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which often prevent or impact extensions. It would be prudent to check these things with a surveyor before you commit yourself to a purchase.

When it comes to mortgage companies such as Coventry BS, do Port Isaac conveyancers have to pay an annual charge to be on the list of approved solicitors?

We are not aware of any mortgage company fees to register on their list of approved firms, although some do levy an administration charge to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel application.

We have agreed to purchase a house in Port Isaac. A rare aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Aldermore have issued a mortgage offer so presumably this is not a concern to them. Why is my solicitor raising questions about the panel?

As your lender is Aldermore your lawyer must check the conveyancing instructions set out in Section 2 of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Aldermore. The CML Handbook contains minimum provisions for solar panel roof-space leases, and conveyancers are required to report to Aldermore where a lease fails to meet these specifications. The requirements relate to the installation of panels on properties countrywide and is not restricted to Port Isaac.

Do commercial conveyancing searches reveal impending roadworks that could impact a commercial property in Port Isaac?

Many commercial conveyancing solicitors in Port Isaac will perform a SiteSolutions Highways report as it dramatically cuts the time that conveyancers invest in researching accurate data on highways that impact buildings and development assets in Port Isaac. The search result provides definitive information on the adoption status of roads, footpaths and verges, as well as the implication of traffic schemes and the rights of way surrounding a commercial development sites in Port Isaac.

For every commercial conveyancing transaction in Port Isaac it is critical to investigate the adoption status of roads surrounding a site. The absence of identifying developments where adoption procedures have not been addressed adequately could cause delays to Port Isaac commercial conveyancing transactions as well as pose a risk to future intentions for the site. These searches are not carried out for residential conveyancing in Port Isaac.

I have todaybeen informed that Arc property Solicitors have closed. They carried out my conveyancing in Port Isaac for a purchase of a leasehold flat 12 months ago. How can I be sure that the property is registered correctly in the name of the previous owner?

The quickest method to check if the premises is registered to you, you can carry out a search of the land registry (£3.00). You can either do this yourself or ask a law firm to do this for you. If you are not registered you can seek help from one of a number of Port Isaac conveyancing specialists.

My son is about to join the property ladder, the home loan was agreed last week in principle. After the offer was accepted on house we rang the bank to move forward with his. We were very surprised to hear that mortgage lenders do not accept all solicitor, they have to be on a list, is this legal?

Mortgage Companies tend to imposes restrictions either the type or the number of conveyancing firms on their approved list of lawyers. Typical examples of such restriction(s) being that a firm must have two or more partners. In addition to restricting the type of firm, some have decided to limit the number of firms they use to represent them. You should note that banks have no responsibility for the quality of advice provided by any Port Isaac lawyer on their panel. Mortgage fraud was a key driver in the rationalisation of conveyancing panels a few years ago and whilst there are differing views about the extent of solicitor involvement in some of that fraud. Statistics from the Land Registry reveal that thousands of law firms only carry out one or two conveyances a year. Those supporting conveyancing panel cuts ask why law firms should have the right to be on a Lender panel when clearly, conveyancing is not their speciality. To put it another way; would you want a conveyancing solicitor to represent you if you were charged with a crime? Presumably not.