I am nearing exchange of contracts for my flat in Romney and the EA has just telephoned to warn that the purchasers are changing their conveyancer. I am told that this is due to the fact that the bank will only deal with solicitors on their conveyancing panel. On what basis would a leading lender only work with specific law firms rather the firm that they want to appoint for their conveyancing in Romney ?

UK lenders have always had panels of law firms they are willing to work with, but in the past few years big names such as Nationwide, have considered and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have acted for them for more than 15 years.

Lenders blame a rise in fraud by way of justification for the reduction – criteria have been tightened as a smaller panel is easier to oversee. Banks tend not to reveal how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society claims that it is hearing daily from firms that have been removed from panels. Some are unaware that they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyers' case. Your buyers are not going to have any sway in the decision.

Why is leasehold purchase conveyancing in Romney costs more?

Romney leasehold conveyancing transactions usually involve additional investigations than freeholds including investigating the Lease, liaising with the Landlord such as serving relevant notices on the Landlord or managing agent, obtaining up-to-date service charge and management information, obtaining Landlord’s consents and reviewing management accounts and formation documents.

I am purchasing a house and require a conveyancing solicitor in Romney who is on the TSB approved. Can you recommend a local solicitor?

Our service is limited to being a directory service for firms who wish to listed as being on the approved conveyancing panel for TSB in certain locations such as Romney. We dont recommend any particular firm.

Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to our property are lost. The solicitors who did the conveyancing in Romney 10 years ago no longer exist. What do I do?

You no longer need to hold title deeds to establish that you are the registered proprietor of land or property, given that the Land Registry have everything they need in a digital format.

Having checked my lease I have discovered that there are only Fifty years unexpired on my flat in Romney. I now wish to extend my lease but my landlord is missing. What options are available to me?

If you meet the appropriate requirements, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the County Court for an order to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will enable the lease to be granted an extra 90 years by the Court. However, you will be required to prove that you have made all reasonable attempts to locate the landlord. For most situations a specialist would be useful to carry out a search and to produce an expert document which can be accepted by the court as proof that the freeholder can not be located. It is wise to seek advice from a property lawyer in relation to investigating the landlord’s absence and the vesting order request to the County Court covering Romney.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Romney - A selection of Questions you should consider Prior to Purchasing

The prefered form of lease arrangement is a share of the freehold. In this arrangement the leaseholders enjoy control and even though a managing agent is often employed if it is bigger than a house conversion, the managing agent acts for the leaseholders themselves. Who manages the building? Plenty Romney leasehold apartments will be liable to pay a service charge for maintenance of the building set on behalf of the landlord. If you buy the flat you will have to meet this liability, usually quarterly during the year. This can vary from several hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for large purpose-built blocks. There will also be a ground rent for you to pay yearly, this is usually not a significant sum, say approximately £50-£100 but you need to enquire it because on occasion it can be surprisingly expensive.