My husband and I are buying a purpose built apartment in Duffield with a loan from Accord Mortgages Ltd.We use our Duffield conveyancing lawyer but Accord Mortgages Ltd advised that his firm is not on their "panel". It seems we have little choice but to instruct a Accord Mortgages Ltd panel solicitor or retain our preferred solicitor and pay for one of their panel ones to represent them. We feel as though this is unjust; is there anything we can do?

Unfortunately,no. The loan issued to you contains various provisions, a common one being that solicitors will be on the Accord Mortgages Ltd solicitor panel. in the past, most mortgage companies had large numbers of solicitors 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. Another option that might be available is for your solicitors to apply to be on the conveyancing panel for Accord Mortgages Ltd

I am assisting my sister sell her house in Duffield. Will the solicitor commission an energy assessment or should I organise this?

After the demise of HIPs, energy performance certificates was maintained a compulsory component of selling a house. An EPC must be commissioned in advance of the property being put on the market. It is not as aspect of the sale process that lawyers ordinarily arrange. If you are instructing a Duffield conveyancing practitioner they might be able to arrange EPC’s due to their relationships with long established Duffield accredited person

Have just purchased a probate house at auction in Duffield. Conveyancing is necessary. What is next?

Having exchanged you will need to find a conveyancing solicitor soon as you will have a fast approaching a drop dead date to complete the purchase. An auction property should have a corresponding legal set of papers. This will likely include the copy title deeds, local authority and drainage searches. In the case of leasehold property the conveyancing pack may provide a copy of the lease, management information and a sellers leasehold information form and other conveyancing paperwork relating to a leasehold property. You must give this to the lawyer working for you as soon as possible. You also need to ensure that your finances are in order to complete on the date specified in the contract.

I am selling my house. I had a double glazing fitted in July 2006, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My purchaser’s lender, Yorkshire BS are being pedantic. The Duffield solicitor who is on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel is saying indemnity insurance will be fine but Yorkshire BS are requiring a building regulation certificate. Why do Yorkshire BS have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?

It is probably the case that Yorkshire BS have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Yorkshire BS may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing was correctly and safely installed. The indemnity insurance merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.

Should I be concerned by brokers that I am dealing with are recommending a factory type conveyancing firm as opposed to a High Street Duffield conveyancing firm?

As with lots of professional services, often suggestions from family and friends can be most helpful. But there are numerous parties with a keen interest in a conveyancing matter; estate agents, financial adviser and mortgage companies might all put forward lawyers to retain. Sometimes the conveyancers might be known to one of the organisations as one of the best in their field, but sometimes there might be a commercial relationship behind the recommendation. You have the discretion to select your own conveyancer. You need to be aware that many lenders specify a panel list of solicitors you must use for the lender related work in your home move.

I am hoping to put an offer on a small detached house that seems to be perfect, at a reasonable price which is making it all the more appealing. I have since been informed that the title is leasehold as opposed to freehold. I am assuming that there are issues purchasing a house with a leasehold title in Duffield. Conveyancing lawyers have are soon to be instructed. Will my lawyers set out the implications of buying a leasehold house in Duffield ?

Most houses in Duffield are freehold rather than leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local conveyancer who is familiar with the area who can help the conveyancing process. it is apparent that you are buying in Duffield so you should seriously consider shopping around for a Duffield conveyancing solicitor and be sure that they have experience in transacting on leasehold houses. First you will need to check the unexpired lease term. Being a tenant you will not be entirely free to do whatever you want to the property. The lease comes with conditions for example requiring the landlord’spermission to conduct changes to the property. You may also be required to pay a contribution towards the maintenance of the communal areas where the property is part of an estate. Your conveyancer will report to you on the legal implications.

I purchased a 1st floor flat in Duffield, conveyancing was carried out half a dozen years ago. Can you let me have an estimated range of the fair premium for a lease extension? Corresponding properties in Duffield with an extended lease are worth £222,000. The ground rent is £50 charged once a year. The lease runs out on 21st October 2095

With 71 years left to run we estimate the price of your lease extension to be between £9,500 and £11,000 plus professional fees.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to advice on the actual costs in the absence of detailed investigations. You should not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt additional concerns that need to be considered and you obviously 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.

My sealed bid on house in Duffield was agreed to, the vendor does however have a connected purchase. The current proprietors have offered on a property, but it’s not been accepted yet, and are looking at other flats in the pipeline. I have chosen a local conveyancing lawyer in Duffield. What do I do now? When do I get the mortgage application with Lloyds going with Lloyds?

It is understandable to have apprehensions where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to be too out of pocket too early (home loan application is approx £1k, then valuation, Duffield conveyancing search costs, etc). The first thing to do is check that your lawyer is on the Lloyds conveyancing panel. As to the next steps this very much dictated by the uniqueness of your transaction, desire for this property and on the state of the market. During a buoyant market many buyers would apply for the mortgage with Lloyds and pay for the survey and only if it was satisfactory would they request their lawyer to proceed with the conveyancing in Duffield.