We are buying a 1 bedroom apartment in Crowland with a mortgage. We would like to retain our Crowland conveyancer, however the bank says he's not on their "panel". It appears that we have no option but to instruct one of the lender panel solicitors or retain our Crowland and pay for one of their panel lawyers to act for them. This seems very unfair; can we not insist that the lender use our Crowland ?

No, not really. Your mortgage offer is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the bank’s conveyancing panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could choose 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 Crowland conveyancing lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.

My wife and I purchasing a end of terrace house in Crowland. We would like to carry out an extension to the side at the house.Will legal investigations on the property include enquiries to ascertain if these works are prohibited?

Your conveyancer will review the deeds as conveyancing in Crowland can occasionally identify restrictions in the title deeds which prevent certain changes or require the consent of another owner. Some works need local authority planning consent and approval in accordance building regulations. Certain areas are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which often prevent or impact extensions. It would be wise to check these things with a surveyor prior to committing yourself to a purchase.

I have a mortgage with for my property in Crowland. Conveyancing was finalised some time ago. If I am intending to rent out my property and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a buy-to-let mortgage or inform ?

must be informed of your intention before letting out your property as this is likely to be a breach of ’s mortgage conditions. In many cases banks or building societies will permit you to let out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact directly. You need not do this via a conveyancing panel lawyer.

My offer on a semi in Crowland has been accepted, but there is a chain. The owners have put an offer on a property, however it’s not yet tied up, and have viewings of other flats in the pipeline. I have chosen a bricks and mortar conveyancing solicitor in Crowland. What should be my next step? At what point should I apply for the mortgage with ?

It is normal to have anxieties where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to be too out of pocket prematurely (mortgage application is approx one thousand pounds, then valuation, Crowland conveyancing search costs, etc). The first thing to do is ensure that your is on the conveyancing panel. As to the subsequent stages this very much depends on the uniqueness of your transaction, attraction to the property and on the state of the market. In a buoyant market some purchasers will apply for a home loan with and arrange for the valuation and only if it comes back ok would they ask their to proceed with searches.

My wife and I are planning on selling our property in Crowland and according to the buyers it appears that there is a risk of it being constructed on contaminated land. A high street Crowland conveyancer would know that there is no such problem. It does beg the question why the purchasers instructed an internet conveyancing firm rather than a conveyancing solicitor in Crowland. Having lived in Crowland for 5 years we know that this is a non issue. Is it a good idea to contact our local Authority to get confirmation need.

It sounds as though you may have a conveyancing firm already. What do they say? You should check with your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out life insurance to cover that same illness)

Should I use a Crowland conveyancing lawyer who is local to the property I am hoping to buy? We have a good friend who can perform the legal work but they are based 300miles away.

The benefit of a high street Crowland conveyancing firm is that you can drop in to sign paperwork, hand in your identification documents and apply pressure on them where appropriate. They will also have local intelligence which is a benefit. However nothing is more important than finding someone that will pull out all the stops for you. If other friends have used your friend and they were content that must outweigh using an unknown Crowland conveyancing solicitor solely due to them being local.

Crowland Leasehold Conveyancing - Sample of Queries Prior to Purchasing

How is the lease structured? It would be prudent to discover as much as possible regarding the company managing the building as they can either make life much simpler or uncomfortable. Being a leasehold owner you are often at the mercy of the managing agents from a financial perspective and when it comes to every day issues like the cleanliness of the communal areas. You should not be shy to ask other tenants if they are happy with their service. In conclusion, find out the dates that the maintenance fees are due to the managing agents and specifically how they are spending the funds. Are any of leasehold owners in dispute over their service charge liability?