Please help. My Bexhill On Sea solicitor is assuring me that he has toapply for Bexhill On Sea conveyancing searches becausethe firm are on the HSBCsolicitor panel. Is this really necessary?

Unfortunately both you and your lawyer have little choice here. Given that you are taking out a loan with a mortgage company your solicitor has to comply with their conditions as set out in their version of the CML Conveyancing Handbook. Your lawyer would have previously signed the Terms and Conditions of your bank’s conveyancing panel appointment which obliges them to comply with the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook requirements . Even if you were a cash buyer you would be ill advised not to carry out Bexhill On Sea conveyancing searches.

I am the registered owner of a freehold residence in Bexhill On Sea but still invoiced for rent, why is this and what is this?

It is rare for properties in Bexhill On Sea and has limited impact for conveyancing in Bexhill On Sea but some freehold properties in England (particularly common in North West England) pay an annual sum known as a Chief Rent or a Rentcharge to a third party who has no other legal interest in the land.

Rentcharge payments are usually between £2.00 and £5.00 per year. Rentcharges have existed for many centuries, but the Rent Charge Act 1977 barred the generation of fresh rentcharges post 1977.

Previous rentcharges can now be redeemed by making a lump sum payment under the Act. Any rentcharges that are still in existence in 2037 will be extinguished.

We're in Bexhill On Sea, First timers purchasing with a mortgage (lender is Coventry BS , and our lawyer is on the Coventry BS conveyancing panel). How long should the conveyancing process take?

The fact that your lawyer is on the Coventry BS conveyancing panel is a help. It would almost certainly delay matters if they were not. However, no property lawyer should guarantee a timeframe for your conveyancing, due to third parties outside of your control such as delays caused by lenders,conveyancing search providers or by the other side’s solicitors. The time taken is often determined by the number of parties in a chain.

Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold issue on a property I put an offer in last month in what should have been a simple, chain free conveyancing. Bexhill On Sea is the location of the property. Is there any advice you can give?

Flying freeholds in Bexhill On Sea are rare but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even though you don't necessarily need a conveyancing solicitor in Bexhill On Sea you would need to get your solicitor to go through the deeds diligently. Your lender may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Bexhill On Sea may decide that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold residence.

My 20yr old son is about to join the property ladder, he had his mortgage in principle. One the offer was accepted on house we called the bank to issue the formal offer. We were very surprised to learn that mortgage companies do not accept all solicitor, they have to be on a list, is this correct?

Lenders normally imposes restrictions either the type or the number of conveyancing firms on their panel. A common example of such restriction(s) being that a firm must have two or more partners. In addition to restricting the type of firm, some have decided to limit the number of firms they use to represent them. You should note that lenders have no responsibility for the quality of advice provided by any Bexhill On Sea property lawyer on their panel. Mortgage fraud was a key driver in the rationalisation of conveyancing panels a few years ago and whilst there are differing views about the extent of solicitor involvement in some of that fraud. Statistics from the Land Registry reveal that thousands of law firms only carry out one or two conveyances a year. Those supporting conveyancing panel cuts ask why law firms should have the right to be on a Lender panel when clearly, conveyancing is not their speciality. To put it another way; would you want a conveyancing solicitor to represent you if you were charged with a crime? Presumably not.