My wife and I changing mortgage lender for our maisonette in Arnold with Aldermore. We have a son approaching twenty who lives at home. Our solicitor has asked us to disclose anyone over the age of 17 other than ourselves who reside at the property. Our lawyer has now e-mailed a document for our son to sign, giving up any rights in the event that the flat is forfeited by the lender. I have a couple of questions (1) Is this form unique to the Aldermore conveyancing panel as he did not need to sign this form when we bought 5 years ago (2) Does our son by signing this giving up his entitlement to inherit the property?

First, rest assured that your Aldermore conveyancing panel solicitor is doing the right thing as it is established procedure for any occupier who is aged 17 or over to sign the necessary Consent Form, which is purely to state that any rights he has in the property are postponed and secondary to Aldermore. This is solely used to protect Aldermore if the property were re-possessed so that in such circumstances, your son would be legally obliged to leave. It does not impact your son’s right to inherit the apartment. Please note that if your son were to inherit and the mortgage in favour of Aldermore had not been discharged, he would be liable to take over the loan or pay it off, but other than that, there is nothing stopping him from keeping the property in accordance with your will or the rules of intestacy.

Are the Arnold conveyancing solicitors identified as being on the Co-operative conveyancing panel, together with their details provided by Co-operative?

Arnold conveyancing firms themselves provide us confirmation that they are on the Co-operative conveyancing panel as opposed to being supplied with a list from Co-operative directly.

I am purchasing a semi-detached house in Arnold. How practical is it for me to do the conveyancing?

Leaving aside the complexities and merits of DIY conveyancing in Arnold you will have to appoint a solicitor on your mortgage company's conveyancing panel to look after their interests. Most people therefore find it easier to let the solicitor act for them and the lender. Furthermore there is minimal cost savings to be made in you doing conveyancing for yourself and another lawyer conducting the conveyancing for the lender. Please feel free to use the search tool to find a lawyer on your lender panel in Arnold.

Should my solicitor be raising enquiries concerning flooding during the conveyancing in Arnold.

Flooding is a growing risk for lawyers carrying out conveyancing in Arnold. Some people will buy a house in Arnold, completely aware that at some time, it may suffer from flooding. However, aside from the physical damage, if a house is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to get a mortgage, adequate insurance cover, or sell the premises. There are steps that can be taken as part of the conveyancing process to forewarn the buyer.

Solicitors are not best placed to offer advice on flood risk, but there are a various searches that can be undertaken by the purchaser or by their lawyers which should give them a better appreciation of the risks in Arnold. The conventional set of property information forms given to a purchaser’s solicitor (where the Conveyancing Protocol is adopted) includes a usual question of the seller to discover whether the property has suffered from flooding. In the event that the property has been flooded in past and is not notified by the vendor, then a buyer may issue a compensation claim as a result of such an misleading response. The buyer’s solicitors will also order an enviro report. This will higlight whether there is a recorded flood risk. If so, further investigations should be carried out.

I need to instruct a conveyancing lawyer in Arnold for my sale. Can I see a solicitor's complaints history with the legal regulator?

Members of the public may search for documented Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) decisions stemming from investigations from 2008 onwards. Visit Check a solicitor's record. To find records about the period before 1 January 2008, or to check a solicitors record, call 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and 09.30 - 18.00 Tuesday. International callers, call +44 (0)121 329 6800. The regulator may recorded telephone calls for training requirements.