I went with a Cranfield based lawyer for my conveyancing in Cranfield last week. Upon checking the official terms of business I seewe are on the hook for fees even where the conveyance does not complete. Would I be best advised to appoint a web based firm promoting no completion no charge conveyancing in Cranfield?

It is usually ‘give and take’ in that if "No Sale No Fee" is available then the conveyancing charges will generally be uplifted to cover the transactions that do not proceed. Please beware that such deals tend not to cover outlay such as Cranfield conveyancing search fees.

Do I find a Licenced Conveyancer or Solicitor for conveyancing in Cranfield?

There are many registered licenced Conveyancers in Cranfield and Solicitor partnerships in Cranfield who can assist with your conveyancing We would stress that both are supervised by regulatory bodies with both specialising in the legal work in the home buying process. The two can conduct associated property related work such as remortgage conveyancing, enfranchisement and transfer of equity conveyancing.

When it comes to lenders such as Yorkshire BS, do Cranfield lawyers face a fee to be on the conveyancing panel?

We are unaware of any bank fees to register on their panel, although some do levy an administration fee to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel submission.

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

Bank of Ireland will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Bank of Ireland 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 Cranfield 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.

A colleague recommended that where I am purchasing in Cranfield I should ask my conveyancer to carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. What does it cover?

A search of this type is usually included in the estimate for your Cranfield conveyancing searches. It is a large document of about 40 pages, listing and setting out significant information about Cranfield around the property and the people living there. It incorporates an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the local Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the type of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average House Prices, Crime details, Local Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data about Cranfield.

I’m about to sell my basement flat in Cranfield. Conveyancing is yet to be initiated, but I have recently received a quarterly maintenance charge demand – Do I pay up?

Your conveyancing lawyer is likely to suggest that you should clear the invoice as normal as all rents and maintenance payments should be allotted as part of the financial calculations for completion monies, so you should recover the relevant percentage by the purchaser for the period running from after the completion date to the next payment date. Most managing agents will not acknowledge the buyer until the service charges have been paid and are up to date, so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. Having a clear account will assist your cause and will leave you no worse off financially.

Cranfield Leasehold Conveyancing - A selection of Questions you should ask before buying

On the whole the outlay for major works are not included within service charges, albeit that some managing agents in Cranfield ask leaseholders to contribute towards a sinking fund and this is used to offset against larger repairs or maintenance. Where a Cranfield lease has fewer than eighty years it will affect the value of the flat. Check with your mortgage company that they are content with the length of the lease. Leases with less than 80 years remaining means that you will most likely need a lease extension at some point and it is worth finding out how much this would cost. For most Cranfieldlease extensions you would be be obliged to have been the owner of the premises for a couple of years in order to be legally able to extend the lease.

My wife and I have selected a Cranfield conveyancing solicitor for our house purchase (FTB’s) and have picked up in the engagement letter that they are not governed by the FCA. Should I be worried or is that usually the case with conveyancing practitioner?

We can't see why they should be. Most conveyancing practitioner don't lend money. You should check that they are governed by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, who set specific laws regulating amounts held on client account.