We had appointed conveyancers located in Basildon on the Virgin Money solicitor panel. They are now charging me an additional fee for handling the Virgin Money mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee set by Virgin Money?

Unfortunately, as long as it is in their Terms of Engagement or estimate then yes your conveyancing practitioner may charge a fee for this. The fee is not dictated by Virgin Money but by your Basildon solicitor. Some firms on the Virgin Money panel will quote an ‘acting for lender’ fee and others do not.

We expect to receive a AIP from TSB this week so we know how much we could potentially offer as otherwise we are dependent on web based calculators (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do TSB recommend any Basildon solicitors on the TSB conveyancing panel, or is it better to go independently?

You will need to appoint Basildon solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the TSB conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and TSB through the process.

I currently have a mortgage with Virgin Money for my property in Basildon. Conveyancing was finalised 12 months ago. In the event that I decide to rent out the flat and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a buy-to-let mortgage or inform Virgin Money?

Your original mortgage agreement with Virgin Money will provide that you need their approval prior to letting out your property as this is likely to be a breach of Virgin Money’s mortgage conditions. In many cases banks or building societies will allow you to rent out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact Virgin Money directly. You need not do this via a Virgin Money conveyancing panel firm.

I am buying a property and the solicitor has referenced Chancel Repair to which the property could be obligated to contribute to as it falls into the area of such a church. She has mentioned insurance. Is this strictly appropriate for conveyancing in Basildon

Unless a previous purchase of the house took place post 12 October 2013 you may take it that conveyancing practitioners delivering conveyancing in Basildon to remain recommending a chancel search and or chancel repair liability policy.

I was recommended by numerous property agents in Basildon to select a solicitor using your seach tool. Is there a financial inducement for Estate Agents to promote your site over another?

We don’t give any commission for directing people our way. We found it would be just too difficult to pay a commission as a client could think, ‘How come the agent getting a kickback? Why am I not getting any benefit too?’ We would prefer to grow our business on genuine recommendations.

Having had my offer accepted I require leasehold conveyancing in Basildon. Before I get started I want to be sure as to the number of years remaining on the lease.

If the lease is recorded at the land registry - and most are in Basildon - 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 Basildon - A selection of Queries before buying

Where a Basildon lease has fewer than eighty years it will affect the salability of the property. It is worth checking with your mortgage company that they are willing to to proceed given the lease term. A short lease means that you will almost definitely have to extend the lease sooner rather than later and it is worth discovering how much this would cost. For most Basildonlease extensions you will be required to have been the owner of the property for 24 months in order to be eligible to extend the lease. It would be sensible to discover as much as possible regarding the managing agents as they will impact your use and enjoyment of the property. As the proprietor of a leasehold property you will be at the mercy of the managing agents both financially and when it comes to daily issues like the cleanliness of the common parts. Don't be afraid to ask other people whether they are happy with them. In conclusion, find out the dates that you are obliged pay the service charge to the managing agents and precisely what you get for your money. Are there any major works anticipated that could increase the maintenance fees?

What do I do if I am not happy with the solicitor who did my conveyancing in Basildon?

Occasionally the level of service you receive is not as you expect, and is is a fact of life that occasionally things do go wrong. However there is recourse if you were not happy with your conveyancing in Basildon. This varies from trying to resolve matters directly with them, through to reporting a solicitor to their governing body. If things still aren’t sorted out you may consider enlisting the help of the Legal Ombudsman.