The Radlett conveyancing solicitors that I appointed last week on my purchase in Radlett have suddenly closed. I only went with them because I needed a lawyer on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel and my family Radlett lawyer was not. I paid them 275 plus VAT on account. What should be my next steps?

Assuming that you have an Estate Agent in the equation then let them know straight away so that they can let the sellers know that there may be a slight delay due to the problems encountered. Hopefully they will 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 Virgin Money 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 lawyers should be in a position to assist.

Me and my partner are buying a property in Radlett. I might seem paranoid but how we can trust a solicitor? At some point we have to deposit our life savings into their account. What protection do we have from them run away with our monies?

Be assured that all money in a Solicitors client account is 100% safe, and even if your Solicitor ran off with it, the Law Society would reimburse you fully.

is it true that all Radlett solicitor practices on the RBS conveyancing panel are governed by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority?

As solicitors, in order to be on the RBS conveyancing panel they would need to be regulated by the SRA. Some lenders do list licenced conveyancers on their panel in which case such firms would be overseen by the CLC.

The formalities of my remortgage has taken place for my property in Radlett. Conveyancing was satisfactory but I would like to complain about the lender. How do I make a complaint?

All banks and building societies have complaints procedures. Your first port of call should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Care Department at head office. We understand that complaints to a lender are resolved very quickly. If you feel the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service who will take matters further.

Will my lawyer be raising questions about flooding as part of the conveyancing in Radlett.

Flooding is a growing risk for conveyancers conducting conveyancing in Radlett. Plenty of people will purchase a house in Radlett, completely aware that at some time, it may suffer from flooding. However, aside from the physical damage, where a house is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to obtain a mortgage, satisfactory building insurance, or sell the premises. Steps can be carried out as part of the conveyancing process to forewarn the buyer.

Solicitors are not best placed to impart advice on flood risk, but there are a numerous checks that may be initiated by the purchaser or on a buyer’s behalf which can figure out the risks in Radlett. The standard information supplied to a buyer’s conveyancer (where the Conveyancing Protocol is adopted) includes a standard inquiry of the owner to determine whether the property has suffered from flooding. In the event that flooding has previously occurred and is not disclosed by the seller, then a purchaser may bring a legal claim for losses as a result of such an inaccurate response. The buyer’s lawyers will also conduct an environmental search. This should higlight whether there is a recorded flood risk. If so, further investigations should be initiated.

I am buying a new build house in Radlett benefiting from help to buy. The sellers refused to move on the amount so I negotiated £7000 of fixtures and fittings instead. The property agent advised me not to tell my solicitor about this deal as it may put at risk my mortgage with the bank. Is this normal?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the developer of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.

Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.

Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.

In what way does the Landlord & Tenant Act 1954 impact my commercial premises in Radlett and how can you help?

The particular law that you refer to affords protection to business tenants, giving them the dueness to apply to court for a continuation of occupancy at the end of the lease term. There are certain specified grounds where a landlord can refuse a lease renewal and the rules are complex. We are happy to direct you to commercial conveyancing firms who use the act to your advantage and help with commercial conveyancing in Radlett