We previously appointed conveyancing lawyers based in St Andrews on the Leeds Building Society solicitor panel. They have just billed me a further sum for the legal aspects of the Leeds Building Society mortgage. Is this a supplemental conveyancing fee specified by Leeds Building Society?

Unfortunately, so long as it is in their Terms of Engagement or estimate then yes your conveyancer may levy a fee for this. This charge is not dictated by Leeds Building Society but by your St Andrews conveyancing practitioner. Some firms on the Leeds Building Society panel will charge an ‘acting for lender’ fee and others do not.

How can we know in advance if a St Andrews conveyancing solicitor on the HSBC panel is any good?

When it comes to conveyancing in St Andrews obtaining recommendations is a sensible start. Before you go ahead, check if they offer a no sale no fee offer. Also, you often get what you pay for - a firm which quotes more, will often provide a better service than one advertising the lowest fees. We would always advise that you speak with the solicitor handling your transaction.

I have today made my last payment due on my mortgage with HSBC. I assume I don't need a St Andrews conveyancing practitioner on the HSBC panel to discharge the mortgage at the Land Registry. Please confirm.

If you have finished paying off your HSBC mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the HSBC mortgage from the register. HSBC, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:

1. but are not moving to another property
2. where HSBC has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
3. HSBC has instructed the Land Registry to do so

I am purchasing a house and the conveyancer has raised the issue of Chancel Repair for which the house could be liable given it’s proximity to the area of such a church. He has suggested insurance. Is this strictly appropriate for conveyancing in St Andrews

Unless a previous acquisition of the house completed after 12 October 2013 you may assume that lawyers carrying out conveyancing in St Andrews to continue to suggest a chancel search and or chancel repair liability insurance.

My wife and I own a terraced Victorian house in St Andrews. Conveyancing solicitor acted for me and Nottingham Building Society. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and I saw two entries: the first freehold, another for leasehold under the matching property. I'd like to know for sure, how can I find out??

You should read the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register as there may be mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in St Andrews and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they remortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with purchasers. You can also question the situation with the conveyancing lawyer who conducted the purchase.

I decided to have a survey completed on a house in St Andrews before appointing solicitors. I have been advised that there is a flying freehold element to the house. The surveyor advised that some mortgage companies may not give a mortgage on this type of property.

It varies from the lender to lender. Bank of Scotland has different requirements from Nationwide. If you e-mail us we can check via the relevant lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in St Andrews. Conveyancing can be more complicated and therefore you should check with your conveyancing solicitor in St Andrews to see if the conveyancing costs will increase in light of this.

I am on look out for some leasehold conveyancing in St Andrews. Before diving in I require certainty as to the remaining lease term.

Assuming the lease is registered - and most are in St Andrews - then the leasehold title will always include the basic details of the lease, namely the date; the term; and the original parties. From a conveyancing perspective such details then enable any prospective buyer and lender to confirm that any lease they are looking at is the one relevant to that title. For any other purpose, such as confirming how long the term was granted for and calculating what is left, then the register should be sufficient on it's own.

Leasehold Conveyancing in St Andrews - A selection of Questions you should consider before buying

What restrictions are there in the St Andrews Lease? Please note that where the lease has less than eighty years it will have adverse implications on the marketability of the apartment. Check with your lender that they are happy with remaining years on the lease. A short lease means that you will probably have to extend the lease sooner rather than later and you need to have some idea of what this would cost. Remember, in most cases you will be required to have owned the premises for a couple of years before you are eligible to exercise a lease extension. Who manages the building?