It is is a decade since I bought my home in Baschurch. Conveyancing lawyers have recently been instructed on the sale but I can't locate the deeds. Is this a major issue?

Don’t worry too much. Firstly the deeds may be kept by your mortgage company or they may be archived with the lawyers who oversaw your purchase. Secondly the chances are that the property will be registered at the land registry and you will be able to prove you own the property by your conveyancing lawyers obtaining up to date copy of the land registers. Nearly all conveyancing in Baschurch involves registered property but in the rare situation where your home is not registered it is more tricky but is resolvable.

My aunt passed away last year and as sole heir and executor I was left the house in Baschurch. The house had a relatively small loan left on it of around £5k. I want to transfer the title deeds into my name whilst I re-mortgage to RBS, pay off the mortgage. Is this allowed?

Given you plan to refinance then RBS will insist on your using a conveyancer on the RBS conveyancing panel. Here is link to the Land Registry online guidance around what to do when a property owner dies. This will help you to understand the registration process behind changing the details re the registered title. in your case it would appear that you are effectively purchasing the property from the estate. Your RBS conveyancing panel solicitor pays the new mortgage money into the estate, the estate pays off the old mortgage, the charge is released and you become the owner and the RBS mortgage is registered as a charge at the Land Registry.

I am being told by my lawyer that absentee landlord insurance is needed on my purchase. What is the level of cover for Baschurch conveyancing?

The appropriate level of absentee landlord indemnity insurance depends on your lender. It would differ for example between National Westminster Bank and Skipton Building Society. Conveyancing practitioners as opposed to borrowers take out such policies.

Are all Baschurch Conveyancing Quality Solicitors on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel?

A selection of banks and building societies now utilise CQS as the starting point for Panel approval such as HSBC and Santander. The Law Society’s CQS membership however gives no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. Nevertheless,the Council of Mortgage Lenders have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for solicitors wishing to join their panels.

We are getting a further advance on our mortgage from TSB as we intend to conduct a loft conversion to our property in Baschurch. Do we need to appoint a local Baschurch solicitor on the TSB conveyancing panel to deal with the legals?

TSB don't usually instruct a member of their approved list of lawyers to deal with the formalities. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the TSB panel.

I'm refinancing my existing property to a BTL mortgage with The Mortgage Works and I will use the rest of the raised equity as a deposit on a second property. The area we are looking at is Baschurch. Will your solicitors be able to act for the two banks and tie in the conveyances?

Do use our comparison tool on this site to check that the conveyancers are on the relevant lender panels. Having checked that they are your conveyancer will be able to simultaneously deal with the two conveyancing matters but you should talk with you lawyer and make apparent your desired outcome and needs.

I've found a house that appears to meet my requirements, at a great figure which is making it all the more appealing. I have since discovered that it's a leasehold rather than freehold. I would have thought that there are issues purchasing a leasehold house in Baschurch. Conveyancing lawyers have are about to be appointed. Will they explain the issues?

The majority of houses in Baschurch are freehold and not leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local solicitor who is familiar with the area who can assist with the conveyancing process. We note that you are purchasing in Baschurch so you should seriously consider shopping around for a Baschurch conveyancing solicitor and check that they are used to transacting on leasehold houses. First you will need to check the number of years remaining. Being a lessee you will not be at liberty to do whatever you want to the property. The lease comes with conditions for example requiring the freeholder’spermission to carry out alterations. It may be necessary to pay a maintenance charge towards the upkeep of the communal areas where the house is part of an estate. Your lawyer will appraise you on the various issues.

Baschurch Leasehold Conveyancing - Sample of Queries Prior to Purchasing

It would be a good idea to investigate if the the lease includes any adverse restrictions in the lease. For example it is very common in Baschurch leases that pets are not allowed in in a block in Baschurch. If you love the propertyin Baschurch however your dog is not allowed to move with you then you will be faced hard compromise. Is the freehold owned collectively by the tenants? Plenty Baschurch leasehold properties will incur a service bill for the upkeep of the block set by the management company. Should you acquire the property you will have to meet this amount, usually quarterly during the year. This could vary from a couple of hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for large purpose-built buildings. In all probability there will be a ground rent to be met yearly, normally this is not a exorbitant figure, say around £50-£100 but you need to check as occasionally it can be prohibitively expensive.