I am helping my aunt sell her flat in Chatteris. Will the conveyancer order the EPC or it is for me to coordinate?

After the abolition of HIPs, energy assessments was left as a mandatory element of moving property. An energy assessment must be commissioned in advance of the property being marketed. This is not as aspect of the sale process that lawyers normally arrange. If you are using a Chatteris conveyancing solicitor they might help arrange energy performance certificates given their relationships with long established local accredited person

We have a mortgage agreed in principle with Nottingham. Chatteris conveyancing lawyers were appointed. How long does it take for Nottingham to issue the offer to the property lawyer?

There is no definitive answer here. Have Nottingham done the valuation? Have you informed Nottingham as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the Nottingham conveyancing panel? Sometimes it can take as long as six weeks for a mortgage offer to be issued.

My wife and I are at the point of looking at apartments in Chatteris and I am about to put in an offer. Is it too early to have a solicitor in place? I will be getting a mortgage with Bank of Ireland.

It would be wise to start your search sooner rather than later. After you have chosen your lawyer and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and forward their details on to the EA. As you are taking out a mortgage with Bank of Ireland, ask your prospective lawyers if they are on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel otherwise they can't do the mortgage legal work.

I used Action Conveyancing several years past for my conveyancing in Chatteris. I now require my file however cannot find the solicitor. What do I do?

Do 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 Chatteris of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously hired, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.

I've recently found out that there is a flying freehold issue on a house I have offered on a fortnight ago in what should have been a quick, no chain conveyancing. Chatteris is the location of the property. Can you shed any light on this issue?

Flying freeholds in Chatteris are unusual but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside Chatteris you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds thoroughly. Your lender may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Chatteris may ascertain that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold property.

In what way can the Landlord & Tenant Act 1954 affect my business premises in Chatteris and how can your lawyers assist?

The 1954 Act provides protection to commercial lessees, giving them the right to make a request to court for a continuation of occupancy when the lease comes to an end. There are certain specified grounds that a landlord can refrain from granting a lease renewal and the rules are complex. Fees are different for commercial conveyancing. Chatteris is one of the numerous areas of the UK in which our lawyers are based

The solicitors conducting our conveyancing in Chatteris has forwarded papers to review that show the land is unregistered with epitome documents. Is it not the case that all houses in Chatteris should be registered?

Whilst most properties in Chatteris are now registered with HMLR there are still some that remain unregistered. Any property in Chatteris that has been purchased since the late 1980’s will have been registered at the Land Registry under the compulsory ‘first registration’ scheme. However, if a Chatteris property has not changed hands in that time then it’s likely the old fashioned title deeds will be the only evidence of ownership.Many Chatteris conveyancing lawyers will be able to handle such matters but if any uncertainty reigns the prevailing recommendation presently seems to be for the current owners to register it first and then sell - this can though naturally result in a significant delay.