My husband and I are refinancing our maisonette in Borehamwood with Lloyds. We have a son approaching twenty who lives at home. Our solicitor has asked us to disclose any adults other than ourselves who lives in the flat. The solicitor has now sent a form for our son to sign, waiving any legal rights in the event that the flat is repossessed. I have a couple of questions (1) Is this form unique to the Lloyds conveyancing panel as he did not need to sign this form when we purchased 4 years ago (2) In signing this form is our son in any way compromising his right to inherit the property?

On the face of it your lawyer has done nothing wrong as it is established procedure for any occupier who is aged 17 or over to sign the necessary Consent Form, which is purely to state that any rights he has in the property are postponed and secondary to Lloyds. This is solely used to protect Lloyds if the property were re-possessed so that in such circumstances, your son would be legally obliged to leave. It does not impact your son’s right to inherit the apartment. Please note that if your son were to inherit and the mortgage in favour of Lloyds had not been discharged, he would be liable to take over the loan or pay it off, but other than that, there is nothing stopping him from keeping the property in accordance with your will or the rules of intestacy.

Do all mortgage companies provide you with an approved list of Borehamwood conveyancing solicitors? How do you know who is on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel?

Borehamwood conveyancing firms themselves provide us confirmation that they are on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel as opposed to being supplied with a list from Bank of Ireland directly.

Our mortgage company has suggested solicitors on their panel based in Borehamwood but I would rather use a conveyancing lawyer in Borehamwood or nearer to where I live. Can you assist?

Not all Borehamwood conveyancing practices are listed all banks conveyancing panel. Use the above find an approved solicitor tool to find a Borehamwood conveyancing firm on the on the bank panel.

I can see plenty of here regarding conveyancing in Borehamwood but what is your top tip for choosing the right conveyancer in Borehamwood

We would encourage you not to base your choice on the cheapest Borehamwood conveyancing costs illustration. You really do get what you’re paying for when it comes to property lawyers. A cheap quote may mean that the conveyancing solicitor is handling a lot of jobs at one time and you won’t get the quality of service and the attention that you need. It is, however, wise to use a conveyancer who has a fixed fee on a no sale, no fee basis. This way, you go into the conveyancing with your eyes wide open.

Forgive me if this question is silly but I am wet behind the ears as FTB of a two bedroom flat in Borehamwood. Do I pick up the keys to the premises on the completion date from my conveyancer? If this is the case, I will appoint a local conveyancing solicitor in Borehamwood?

On the day of completion you will not be required to attend the conveyancers office in Borehamwood. Your solicitors will electronically transfer the completion advance to the owner’s solicitors, and once they have received this, you will be able to collect the keys from the property Agents and start moving into the property. Usually this happens early afternoon.

After shopping around on the internet I have found a Borehamwood solicitor having made sure that they are on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?

Clydesdale will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Clydesdale will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. You may wish to consider appointing your own Borehamwood surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller.

I am buying a new build flat in Borehamwood. Conveyancing is a frightening process at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. Can you give me some examples of some of the questions asked in new build legal work.

Here is a sample of a few leasehold new build questions that you can expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Borehamwood

The Lease must contain a provision on behalf of the Vendor to pay the service charges in respect of unoccupied units in order to ensure that all services can be provided. Will the freehold then be transferred for a nominal consideration (not exceeding £100) to the Management Company? The Vendor must covenant to keep unoccupied units in good repair until long leases are granted therefore. Please confirm the Lease plans are architect prepared.