We are looking to buy a house and require a conveyancing solicitor in Chelmsford who is on the approved panel. Could you point me in the right direction as regards a firm?

Our service is limited to being a directory service for firms who wish to be listed as being on the approved conveyancing panel for . We don't recommend any particular firms conducting conveyancing in Chelmsford.

We are hoping to buy a newly converted flat in Chelmsford with a homeloan from .We would like to retain our Chelmsford conveyancing lawyer but informed us he's not on their "panel". We have to appoint a panel firm or keep our high street solicitor and fork out for one of their panel ones to represent them. We feel as though this is unjust; Can we not simply insist that use our lawyer?

Unfortunately,no. The loan offered to you contains various provisions, a common one being that lawyers will be on the approved list. Until recently, most banks had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could find one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. A further alternative is for your solicitors to apply to be on the conveyancing panel for

I just bought a flat at auction in Chelmsford. Conveyancing is needed. What are my next steps?

Having to all intents and purposes signed on the dotted line you will need to choose a conveyancing lawyer quickly as you will have a tight a fixed date to complete the transaction. Every auction property should have an associated legal set of papers. This should include most,if not all of the paperwork that your lawyer will need. In the case of leasehold property the auction pack may include a copy of the lease, management information and a sellers leasehold information form and associated conveyancing paperwork pertinent to a leasehold property. You need to pass this on to your appointed conveyancing solicitor ASAP. Do make sure that you have funds in place to complete on the on the contractual date .

This question may be naive but I am unseasoned as FTB of a garden flat in Chelmsford. Do I pick up the keys to the house on completion from my lawyer? If so, I will use a local conveyancing solicitor in Chelmsford?

On the day of completion you will not be required to attend the conveyancers office in Chelmsford. Conveyancing lawyers for you will arrange to send the purchase money to the vendor’s conveyancers, and once they have received this, you will be called to receive the keys from the property Agents and move into your new home. Usually this occurs between 1 and 3pm.

Is it the case that all Chelmsford solicitor firms on the conveyancing panel are overseen by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority?

As solicitors, in order to be on the conveyancing panel they would need to be governed by the SRA. The majority of banks do list licenced conveyancers on their panel and in that case the firms would be overseen by the CLC.

How simple is it to use your search facility to locate a conveyancing lawyer in Chelmsford on the approved list for my mortgage?

Step one is to choose a bank such as , or then specify your location a common one being Chelmsford. Conveyancing practices in Chelmsford and beyond will then be listed.

I am on look out for some leasehold conveyancing in Chelmsford. Before I set the wheels in motion I want to be sure as to the remaining lease term.

If the lease is registered - and almost all are in Chelmsford - then the leasehold title will always include the short particulars of the lease, namely the date; the term; and the original parties. From a conveyancing perspective such details then enable any prospective buyer and lender to confirm that any lease they are looking at is the one relevant to that title. For any other purpose, such as confirming how long the term was granted for and calculating what is left, then the register should be sufficient on it's own.

I purchased a leasehold flat in Chelmsford, conveyancing formalities finalised in 1995. Can you let me have an estimate of the premium that my landlord can legally expect in return for granting a renewal of my lease? Similar properties in Chelmsford with a long lease are worth £165,000. The ground rent is £45 invoiced annually. The lease ends on 21st October 50

You have 50 years left to run the likely cost is going to be between £36,100 and £41,800 as well as legals.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs in the absence of comprehensive due diligence. Do not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt additional concerns that need to be taken into account and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not take any other action based on this information before getting professional advice.