I have todayfound out that Arc property Solicitors have closed. They carried out my conveyancing in Ely for a purchase of a leasehold flat 18 months ago. How can I check that my home is registered correctly in the name of the previous owner?

The quickest method to see if the premises is registered to you, you can make a search of the land registry (£3.00). You can either do this yourself or ask a law firm to do this for you. If you are not registered you can seek help from one of a number of Ely conveyancing specialists.

I opted to have a survey done on a property in Ely prior to retaining conveyancers. I have been advised that there is a flying freehold aspect to the property. Our surveyor has said that some banks may refuse to grant a loan on a flying freehold home.

It varies from the lender to lender. Lloyds has different requirements from Halifax. Should you wish to telephone us we can look into this further with the appropriate lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Ely. Conveyancing may be slightly more expensive based on your lender's requirements.

As co-executor for the estate of my father I am disposing of a house in Cardiff but live in Ely. My solicitor (who is 300 kilometers awayrequires that I execute a statutory declaration before completion. Can you recommend a conveyancing solicitor in Ely who can attest and place their company stamp on the document?

strictly speaking you are not likely to be required to have the documents witnessed by a conveyancing solicitor. Ordinarily or notary public or qualified solicitor will be fine regardless of whether they are Ely based

Having checked my lease I have discovered that there are only Sixty One years remaining on my flat in Ely. I need to extend my lease but my freeholder is absent. What options are available to me?

If you meet the appropriate requirements, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can submit an application to the County Court for for permission to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will mean that your lease can be extended by the magistrate. However, you will be required to demonstrate that you or your lawyers have done all that could be expected to locate the landlord. For most situations an enquiry agent may be helpful to conduct investigations and prepare a report which can be used as proof that the freeholder can not be located. It is wise to seek advice from a conveyancer in relation to investigating the landlord’s disappearance and the application to the County Court overseeing Ely.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Ely - Examples of Queries before buying

Who are the managing agents? Its a good idea to find out as much as possible about the company managing the building as they will either make living at the property much easier or problematic. Being a leasehold owner you will be in the clutches of the managing agents both financially and when it comes to practical issues like the upkeep of the common parts. Ask other tenants what they think of them. Finally, be sure you know the dates that the maintenance fees are due to the appropriate party and specifically what you get for your money. This information is important as a) areas could result in problems for the building as the communal areas may begin to deteriorate if maintenance remain unpaid b) if the leaseholders have a dispute with the running of the building you will wish to know about it

My step-son is embarking on her first house purchase, he had his mortgage in principle. When the offer was accepted on apartment we contacted the building society to move forward with his. We were disappointed to hear that banks do not accept all property lawyer, they must be on their panel, is this right?

Banks normally imposes restrictions either the type or the number of conveyancing solicitors on their approved list of lawyers. Typical examples of such restriction(s) being that a firm must have two or more partners. In addition to restricting the type of firm, some have decided to limit the number of firms they use to represent them. You should note that lenders have no responsibility for the quality of advice provided by any Ely conveyancer on their panel. Mortgage fraud was a key driver in the rationalisation of conveyancing panels a few years ago and whilst there are differing views about the extent of solicitor involvement in some of that fraud. Statistics from the Land Registry reveal that thousands of law firms only carry out one or two conveyances a year. Those supporting conveyancing panel cuts ask why law firms should have the right to be on a Lender panel when clearly, conveyancing is not their speciality. To put it another way; would you want a conveyancing solicitor to represent you if you were charged with a crime? Probably not.