Me and my fiance are acquiring a flat in Windmill Hill. My Solicitor is not on the lender approved list. Am I still permitted to use my Windmill Hill conveyancing solicitor even though they are not on the bank list of approved lawyers?

Your options include

• Proceed with your chosen Windmill Hill lawyer but your lender will undoubtedly retain a property lawyer on their approved panel. The net result is additional cost together with probable interruption.
• Get a new lawyer to conduct the conveyancing, obviously checking they are on the lender conveyancing panel.
• Convince your lawyer to seek to join the mortgage company panel

What does a local search tell me regarding the property I am buying in Windmill Hill?

Windmill Hill conveyancing often commences with the applying for local authority searches directly from your local Authority or via a personal search organisations for instance Searches UK The local search plays a central part in most Windmill Hill conveyancing purchase; that is if you wish to avoid any nasty surprises after you move into your new home. The search should provide information on, amongst other things, details on planning applications applicable to the property (whether granted or refused), building control history, any enforcement action, restrictions on permitted development, nearby road schemes, contaminated land and radon gas; in all a total of thirteen subject sections.

The estate agent has sent us the confirmation of our purchase of a new build apartment in Windmill Hill. Conveyancing is a frightening process at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. What sort of enquires would be asked in new build conveyancing.

Here is a sample of a few leasehold new build enquiries that you can expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Windmill Hill

Where service of notices and proceedings can be at the property demised please confirm that this can be amended to include simultaneous services at the Lessees’ solicitors’ offices where the Lessee from time to time is not resident in the UK - such solicitors may be varied by notice in writing to the Landlord from time to time but otherwise will be as previously specified. There must be mutual enforceability of lessee’s covenants. The Landlord must covenant to assume the management if the Management Company goes into liquidation or otherwise defaults in running the management scheme. Where there is an Undertaking being granted there is the risk of forfeiture of the Headlease subject to relief if one or more of the Underlessees are willing to accept the original Head Lessee’s obligations as otherwise relief will be denied to the Underlessees. The only alternatives are the Head Lessor agreeing not to forfeit the Headlease or the Head Lessee guaranteeing to the Underlessees that it will not be in breach of the Headlease. The Lease must contain a provision on behalf of the Vendor to pay the service charges in respect of unoccupied units in order to ensure that all services can be provided.

Over the last few months I have been searching for a ground for flat up to £195,000 and identified one close by in Windmill Hill I like with open areas and railway links nearby, the downside is that it only has 52 years unexpired on the lease. There is not much else in Windmill Hill suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error buying a lease with such few years left?

If you require a home loan the remaining unexpired lease term will be problematic. Reduce the price by the amount the lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing owner has owned the premises for a minimum of 2 years you could ask them to start the process of the extension and pass it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the existing lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing solicitor regarding this.

My husband and I are new on the property ladder - agreed a price, yet the property agent has warned us that the seller will only move forward if we use their preferred conveyancers as they are insisting on an ‘expedited deal’. We would rather use a high street solicitor used to conveyancing in Windmill Hill

We suspect that the seller is unaware of this ultimatum. If they desire ‘a quick sale', alienating a genuine purchaser is likely to cause more damage than good. Try to communicate with the sellers directly and explain that (a)you are keen to buy (b)you are excited to move forward, with mortgage lined up © you are chain free (d) you wish to move quickly (e)but you are going to instruct your preferred Windmill Hill conveyancing firm - rather thanthose that will give the estate agent a kickback or meet his conveyancing thresholds set by corporate headquarters.