I am considering refinancing my house in Dartmouth, does my lawyer need to be on the Kent Reliance Conveyancing panel?

In theory, you could use a solicitor that is not on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel, but Kent Reliance would require one of their panel solicitors to be instructed to act in their interests, and you'd have to pay for this - so most people instruct a panel solicitor. It's also easier, as otherwise you'd have to deal with two solicitors for the same conveyancing matter.

Me and my partner are purchasing a flat in Dartmouth. I might seem paranoid but how we can trust a conveyancer? At some point we will need to put 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.

Completion of my purchase has taken place for my property in Dartmouth. Conveyancing was a necessary evil but I feel I should register my dissatisfaction about the lender. Who do I contact should I wish to lodge a complaint?

Almost all lenders have complaints procedures. Your first port of call should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Services Department at head office. Ordinarily complaints to a lender are resolved effectively and efficiently. If you feel the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service, South Quay Plaza, 183 Marsh Wall, London E14 9SR with full details of your complaint.

Bank of Ireland have agreed my mortgage in principle, my offer on a property in Dartmouth has been agreed to, what are the next steps?

Your property agent will need to be informed of your conveyancing practitioner's details (ensure that the property lawyers are on the bank’s approved list). Call up Bank of Ireland or your financial adviser and complete any relevant forms. Bank of Ireland will instruct a valuer who will get in contact with the estate agent or owners to schedule an appointment. Once conducted (assuming no problems) it takes approximately a fortnight for the mortgage offer to be issued. Bank of Ireland will send the offer to you and your conveyancing practitioners. The legal work will then take it’s course according the nature and complexity of the conveyancing in Dartmouth.

I purchased a 4 bedroom Victorian property in Dartmouth. Conveyancing lawyer acted for me and Barnsley Building Society. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and I saw a couple of entries: one for freehold, another for leasehold under the exact same address. If a house is not a freehold shouldn't I have been informed?

You should read the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Dartmouth and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they mortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with lenders. You can also check the situation with the conveyancing practitioner who carried out the work.

I am using a search engine for the term on line conveyancing in Dartmouth it shows results of numerous solicitorsin the area. How do I determine which is the right conveyancer for my move?

The preferential method of choosing a suitable conveyancer is via trusted referral, so seek the guidance of colleagues and relatives who have purchased a property in Dartmouth or a local estate agent or financial adviser. Costs for conveyancing in Dartmouth vary, so it's a good idea to request at least three costs illustrations from different conveyancers. Be sure to obtain confirmation that the charges are assured not to to be inflated.

Back In 2006, I bought a leasehold house in Dartmouth. Conveyancing and Skipton Building Society mortgage went though with no issue. A letter has just been received from someone saying they have taken over the reversionary interest in the property. Attached was a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1992. The conveyancing practitioner in Dartmouth who previously acted has now retired. What should I do?

The first thing you should do is contact the Land Registry to make sure that the individual purporting to own the freehold is in fact the new freeholder. It is not necessary to instruct a Dartmouth conveyancing practitioner to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for £3. Rest assured that in any event, even if this is the legitimate freeholder, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.

I am the registered owner of a ground floor flat in Dartmouth, conveyancing was carried out half a dozen years ago. 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 Dartmouth with over 90 years remaining are worth £186,000. The ground rent is £55 invoiced every year. The lease ends on 21st October 2077

With only 52 years unexpired we estimate the premium for your lease extension to span between £29,500 and £34,000 plus professional fees.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to supply the actual costs in the absence of comprehensive investigations. Do not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt additional concerns that need to be taken into account and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you move forward placing reliance on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.