My fiance and I are planning to purchase a house in Chalfont St Giles and are in fact using a Chalfont St Giles conveyancing practice. Within the last couple of days our conveyancer has forwarded the sale agreement to be signed with a detailed report with the expectation that exchange is imminent. Alliance & Leicester have this afternoon contacted us to advise us that there is now an issue as our Chalfont St Giles lawyer is not on their approved list of lawyers. What do we do from here?

When purchasing a property with mortgage finance it is standard for the purchasers' lawyers to also act for the purchaser's lender. In order to act for a bank or building society a law firm has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the law firm to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the firm has to satisfy and indeed some lenders now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Accreditation Scheme. Your solicitor should contact your lender and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own lawyers to represent them. You are not legally obliged to appoint a law firm on the lender’s conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own Chalfont St Giles solicitors, in which case your legal fees may increase, and it will likely delay the transaction as you have another set of people involved.

My wife and I are purchasing a property in Chalfont St Giles. It might be a silly question but how we can trust a lawyer? On completion day we have to deposit funds into their account. What is the protection we have from them run away with our money?

Be assured that all money in a Solicitors client account is 100% safe, and even if your Solicitor ran off with it, the Law Society would reimburse you fully.

My wife and I purchasing a 3 bedroom semi in Chalfont St Giles. We would like to carry out an extension to the side at the property.Will the conveyancing process involve checks to determine if these alterations are permitted?

Your solicitor should check the registered title as conveyancing in Chalfont St Giles will on occasion reveal restrictions in the title deeds which restrict certain changes or need the permission of a 3rd party. Some works need local authority planning consent and approval in accordance building regulations. Many areas are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which frequently prevent or impact extensions. You should check these things with a surveyor ahead of any purchase.

I have paid off my mortgage with Principality. I assume I don't need a Chalfont St Giles conveyancing practitioner on the Principality panel to remove the mortgage at the Land Registry. Please confirm.

If you have finished paying off your Principality mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the Principality mortgage from the register. Principality, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:

1. but are not moving to another property
2. where Principality has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
3. Principality has instructed the Land Registry to do so

Should our solicitor be raising enquiries concerning flooding during the conveyancing in Chalfont St Giles.

Flooding is a growing risk for conveyancers carrying out conveyancing in Chalfont St Giles. There are those who acquire a property in Chalfont St Giles, fully aware that at some time, it may be flooded. However, leaving to one side the physical destruction, if a house is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to get a mortgage, satisfactory building insurance, or dispose of the premises. Steps can be carried out during the course of a property purchase to forewarn the purchaser.

Solicitors are not qualified to impart advice on flood risk, however there are a various searches that may be carried out by the buyer or by their lawyers which will figure out the risks in Chalfont St Giles. The standard information given to a buyer’s solicitor (where the Conveyancing Protocol is adopted) incorporates a usual inquiry of the vendor to find out whether the property has ever been flooded. In the event that the property has been flooded in past which is not disclosed by the seller, then a buyer may issue a compensation claim resulting from an incorrect reply. A buyer’s lawyers should also conduct an environmental search. This will higlight whether there is any known flood risk. If so, further inquiries will need to be conducted.

I have been on the look out for a flat up to £245,000 and identified one near me in Chalfont St Giles I like with amenity areas and transport links nearby, however it's only got 51 years on the lease. There is not much else in Chalfont St Giles for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake purchasing a short lease?

Should you need a mortgage the shortness of the lease may be problematic. Discount the offer by the anticipated lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the current owner has owned the property for at least twenty four months you can ask them to commence the lease extension formalities and pass it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease term with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer about this.

Looking forward to sign contracts shortly on a basement flat in Chalfont St Giles. Conveyancing lawyers inform me that they will have a report out to me tomorrow. What should I be looking out for?

The report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in Chalfont St Giles should include some of the following:

The landlord’s rights to access the premises. You should be made aware that your landlord has rights of access as well as be informed how much notice must be provided. What options are open to you if a neighbour is in violation of a provision in their lease? Does the lease prevent you from renting out the property, or having a home office for business Alterations to the premises Repair and maintenance of the property

Chalfont St Giles Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Examples of Questions you should consider before Purchasing

Please tell me if there are any major works anticipated that will likely add a premium to the service charges? Does the lease have in excess of 85 years unexpired? Is there a share of the freehold?