I am in need of a property lawyer. Should I go for for a nationwide conveyancer as opposed to a local Blandford Forum conveyancing lawyer?

In the main conveyancing lawyers in your location will have strong alliances with your local authority, which can assist with your Blandford Forum conveyancing searches that your lawyer will require on your transaction. It can only help if they enjoy good connections with the Land Registry overseeing your area Blandford Forum, other conveyancers in the neighbourhood and Blandford Forum Estate Agents.

We were just about to sign contracts for a semi detached house in Blandford Forum. We have hit a snag. Our mortgage offer with Norwich and Peterborough Building Society expires on 1/8/2023 but the owners are suggesting a completion date of 3/8/2023. Is it possible to prolong the loan offer?

The best person to address this concern is your conveyancer who is in a position to calculate whether they better off negotiating with the mortgage company, vendor’s lawyers, estate agents or possibly all three based on the circumstances your conveyancing as of today.

We are hoping to buy a newbuild apartment in Blandford Forum with a homeloan from Skipton Building Society.We use our Blandford Forum conveyancing solicitor but Skipton Building Society informed us he's not listed on their approved list of firms. We have to appoint a Skipton Building Society panel lawyer or retain our high street solicitor and fork out for one of their panel ones to act for them. We feel as though this is unjust; is there anything we can do?

No, not really. The mortgage offered to you contains terms and conditions, a common one being that lawyers must be on the Skipton Building Society approved list. Until recently, most mortgage companies had large numbers of solicitors on their panels: a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. Another option that might be available is for your lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel for Skipton Building Society

How simple is it to change firm as I have to select one who is on the Barclays conveyancing list. I hired a local conveyancing solicitor in Blandford Forum five minutes from me but she is not accepted by Barclays

It would be our pleasure to help you select a conveyancing solicitor in Blandford Forum on the Barclays panel. Please note that the property lawyers that we list do not pay us a referral fee if you instruct them and are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority who oversee all conveyancing solicitors in Blandford Forum. In making use of the find a conveyancing solicitor tool on this website, you can contrast costs for conveyancing solicitors in Blandford Forum and throughout England and Wales.

Can you provide any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Blandford Forum from the point of view of saving time on the sale process?

• Much of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Blandford Forum can be avoided where you instruct lawyers as soon as you market your property and request that they start to collate the leasehold documentation which will be required by the purchasers’ solicitors.
If you are supposed to have a share in the freehold, you should make sure that you hold the original share document. Obtaining a new share certificate is often a lengthy formality and slows down many a Blandford Forum conveyancing transaction. If a duplicate share certificate is necessary, you should approach the company officers or managing agents (where applicable) for this as soon as possible. In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s permission? Have you, for example laid down wooden flooring? Blandford Forum leases often stipulate that internal structural changes or installing wooden flooring necessitate a licence from the Landlord acquiescing to such works. Where you dont have the paperwork in place do not contact the landlord without checking with your solicitor before hand. Some Blandford Forum leases require Licence to Assign from the landlord. If this applies to your lease, it would be prudent to place the estate agents on notice to make sure that the purchasers put in hand financial (bank) and professional references. Any bank reference will need to confirm that the buyers are able to meet the yearly service charge and the actual amount of the service charge should be quoted in the bank’s letter. You will therefore need to provide your estate agents with the actual amount of the service charge so that they can pass this information on to the buyers or their lawyers.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Blandford Forum - Examples of Queries Prior to Purchasing

Best to be warned whether changing the roof or some other major work is due shortly to be shared between the leasehold owners and will materially increase the the service costs or necessitate a one off invoice. Its a good idea to discover as much as possible regarding the managing agents as they will impact your use and enjoyment of the property. Being a leasehold owner you are frequently at the mercy of the managing agents from a financial perspective and when it comes to every day issues like the cleanliness of the communal areas. Enquire of prospective neighbours if they are happy with their management. Finally, be sure you understand the dates that you are obliged pay the service charge to the appropriate party and specifically what it includes. Are any of leasehold owners in arrears of their service charge payments?