We are selling our apartment in Blandfordum. Will the lawyer have to be on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel in order to deal with repayment of my mortgage?

Ordinarily, even if your lawyer is not on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel they can still act for you on your sale. It might be that the lender will not release the original deeds (if applicable and increasingly irrelevant) until after the mortgage is paid off. You should speak to your lawyer directly before you start the process though to ensure that there is no problem as lenders are changing their conditions fairly frequently at the moment.

Is it the case that all Blandfordum CQS (Conveyancing Quality Scheme) solicitors are on the Nationwide conveyancing list of approved practices?

Some major banks and building societies now make use of CQS as the starting point for Panel membership such as HSBC and Santander. CQS membership however is no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. Nevertheless,the Council of Mortgage Lenders have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for firms wishing to remain on their panels.

After months of negotiation I have agreed a price on a house in Blandfordum. My financial adviser recommended their conveyancers. I paid an advanced payment of £150. A few days later, the conveyancing practitioner called me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the Nottingham conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?

You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Nottingham panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.

UBS have agreed my mortgage in principle, my offer on a house in Blandfordum has been accepted, what are the next steps?

The estate agent will wish to be advised as to your property lawyer's details (ensure that the lawyers are on the lender’s approved list). Call up UBS or your broker and complete any appropriate forms. UBS will appoint a valuer who will get in touch with the selling agent or vendor to schedule a slot for the valuation to take place. Once conducted (assuming no problems) it takes about ten days to get a mortgage offer. UBS will issue the offer to you and your lawyers. The legal work will then take it’s course according the nature and complexity of the conveyancing in Blandfordum.

How does conveyancing in Blandfordum differ for new build properties?

Most buyers of new build premises in Blandfordum contact us having been asked by the seller to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the residence is constructed. This is because builders in Blandfordum typically acquire the land, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct conveyancing solicitors as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are used to new build conveyancing in Blandfordum or who has acted in the same development.

I am looking for a ground for flat up to £195,000 and identified one round the corner in Blandfordum I like with amenity areas and transport links nearby, the downside is that it only has 61 years on the lease. There is not much else in Blandfordum in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake buying a short lease?

If you need a home loan the remaining unexpired lease term may be problematic. Discount the price by the expected lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the existing proprietor has owned the property for a minimum of twenty four months you may ask them to start the process of the extension and pass it to you. You can add 90 years to the current lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should consult your conveyancing lawyer about this.

I have just appointed agents to market my basement apartment in Blandfordum. Conveyancing solicitors are to be appointed soon, but I have just received a quarterly maintenance charge invoice – what should I do?

The sensible thing to do is discharge the invoice as normal given that all rents and service invoices will be apportioned as part of the financial calculations for completion monies, so you will be reimbursed by the purchaser for the period running from after the completion date to the subsequent invoice date. Most managing agents will not acknowledge the buyer until the service charges have been paid and are up to date, so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. This will smooth the conveyancing process.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Blandfordum - A selection of Queries before buying

Generally speaking the cost for major works are not included within maintenance charges, albeit that some managing agents in Blandfordum ask leaseholders to contribute towards a sinking fund and this is used to offset against major works. The prefered form of lease structure is a share of the freehold. In this situation the tenants benefit from control and although a managing agent is often employed if the building is larger than a house conversion, the managing agent acts for the leaseholders themselves. What restrictions exist in the Blandfordum Lease?