My partner and I are purchasing our first property. The solicitor has e-mailedto ask if we wish to order additional conveyancing searches. We are really unsure what's needed for conveyancing in Retford

The scope of Retford conveyancing searches should be dictated primarily on the premises, the location, the likelihood of any of these risks, your familiarity of the region and risks, your overall attitude to risk. What matters is that you adequately understand what information the searches could provide. You may then decide if you personally think you need that search. If in doubt, ask your property lawyer to advise.

Are all Retford Conveyancing Quality Solicitors on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing list of approved practices?

Some major lenders now utilise the accreditation scheme as the starting point for Panel approval such as HSBC and Santander. The Law Society’s CQS accreditation however is no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. That being said,the CML have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for solicitors wishing to remain on their approved list of firms.

I recently had an offer agreed on a house in Retford. My financial adviser recommended their conveyancers. I paid an upfront payment of £225. A few days later, the solicitor called me embarrassingly acknowledging that they were not on the Barclays 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 Barclays 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.

Virgin Money have agreed my mortgage in principle, my offer on a house in Retford has been agreed to, what are the next steps?

Your estate agent will want to be informed of your lawyer's details (ensure that the property lawyers are on the lender’s panel). Call up Virgin Money or the broker and finish off any outstanding paperwork. Virgin Money will instruct a valuer who will get in contact with the selling agent or seller to arrange a slot for the valuation to occur. Once conducted (assuming no problems) it takes on average a fortnight for the mortgage offer to be issued. Virgin Money will send the offer to you and your conveyancing practitioners. The legal work will then take it’s course according the nature and complexity of the conveyancing in Retford.

I opted to have a survey done on a property in Retford before appointing lawyers. I have been advised that there is a flying freehold overhang to the house. Our surveyor advised that some mortgage companies tend refuse to grant a mortgage on a flying freehold premises.

It depends who your proposed lender is. Lloyds has different requirements for example to Halifax. Should you wish to telephone us we can look into this further via the appropriate mortgage company. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Retford. Conveyancing will be smoother if you use a solicitor in Retford especially if they regularly deal with such properties in Retford.

Last October I purchased a leasehold property in Retford. Do I have any liability for service charges for periods before my ownership?

In a situation where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous owner and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. Strange as it may seem, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. A critical element of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to be sure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.

If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).

Retford Leasehold Conveyancing - A selection of Questions you should consider before buying

Please tell me if there are any major works on the horizon that could add a premium to the maintenance charges? What is the name of the managing agents? It would be prudent to find out if there is anything that is prohibited in the lease. By way of example it is reasonably common in Retford leases that pets are not allowed in certain buildings in Retford. If you like the apartmentin Retford yet your cat is not allowed to move with you then you have a very hard choice.

I'm selling a house in Retford. I can find my conveyancer's company on the Law Society's list, but I can't find my conveyancer's name on the list. Should I be concerned?

Not every individual in the company must be listed by the regulator. Provided there is a manager qualified to 'oversee' the conveyancing, the actual day-to-day activity can be conducted by unqualified staff.