I am obtaining a mortgage with Santander. I would like to retain the legal services of a Licensed Conveyancer in Canterbury. Does the Santander Solicitor panel allow for Licensed Conveyancers?

The Santander conveyancing panel is, like many other lenders, associated to the Council or Mortgage Lenders or BSA, open to Licensed Conveyancers regulated by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.

My husband and I are purchasing a brand new flat in Canterbury and my lawyer is advising me that she has to the lender to disclose incentives from the seller. The Estate Agents are hassling me to exchange and I don't want to prolong matters. is my lawyer playing by the book?

You should not exchange unless you have been advised to do so by your . A precondition to being on a mortgage company panel is to comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook requirements. The CML Conveyancing Handbook requires that your lawyer have the appropriate Disclosure of Incentive form completed by the developer and accepted by your lender.

I used Wolstenholmes a few years past for my conveyancing in Canterbury. I now require my file however the law firm is no longer operating. What do I do?

You should call the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to help locate your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Canterbury of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously retained, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.

Due to the guidance of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a house in Canterbury ahead of instructing conveyancers. I have been told that there is a flying freehold overhang to the property. Our surveyor advised that some banks may not issue a mortgage on this type of premises.

It depends who your proposed lender is. Lloyds has different requirements for example to Nationwide. Should you wish to telephone us we can investigate further with the relevant lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Canterbury. Conveyancing will be smoother if you use a solicitor in Canterbury especially if they are familiar with such properties in Canterbury.

How much should conveyancing in Canterbury cost?

Almost all Canterbury conveyancing practices will agree to a standard fee. In the event that additional work becomes necessary during the conveyancing your should inform you in writing of any extra fees for any work as soon as it becomes obvious. Some firms may agree not to render an invoice if a transaction does not go ahead, others will levy an bill for a fraction of the agreed costs, depending on the stage at which the matter aborts.

It may be helpful for you to ask two or three firms to give you a quotation.