We are purchasing a house and need a conveyancing solicitor in Englefield Green who is on the Bank of Ireland solicitor panel. Can you recommend a local conveyancing firm?

Our service is limited to being a directory service for firms who wish to be listed as being on the approved conveyancing panel for Bank of Ireland . We don't recommend any particular firms conducting conveyancing in Englefield Green.

Can you clarify what the consequences are if my solicitor is suspended from the Virgin Money Solicitor panel ahead of completing my conveyancing in Englefield Green?

The first thing to point out is that, this is a very rare occurrence. In most cases even where a law firm is removed off of a panel the lender would allow the completion to go ahead as the lender would appreciate the difficulties that they would place you in if you have to instruct a new solicitor days before completion. In a worst case scenario where the lender insists that you instruct a new firm then it is possible for a very good lawyer to expedite the conveyancing albeit that you may pay a significant premium for this. The analogous situation is where a buyer instructs a lawyer, exchanges contracts and the law firm is shut down by a regulator such as the SRA. Again, in this situation you can find lawyers who can troubleshoot their way to bring the conveyancing to a satisfactory conclusion - albeit at a cost.

I'm in the process of viewing flats in Englefield Green and I am now considering a potential offer. Is it best to have a conveyancer on ‘stand by’? I will be getting a home loan with Santander.

You should start obtaining conveyancing estimates from solicitors ASAP. After you have chosen your lawyer and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and forward their contact information on to the estate agent. As you are seeking a mortgage with Santander, make sure you remember to check that your lawyer is on the Santander conveyancing panel.

Completion of my remortgage has taken place for my property in Englefield Green. Conveyancing was of an acceptable standard but I would like to complain about the lender. How do I make a complaint?

Almost all lenders have complaints procedures. Your first point of contact should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Services Department at head office. Ordinarily complaints to a lender are sorted out very quickly. If you feel the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service with full details of your complaint.

I have instructed a Englefield Green lawyer having made sure that they are on the Aldermore conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?

Aldermore will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Aldermore 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 Englefield Green 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.

I have been on the look out for a flat up to £195,000 and found one near me in Englefield Green I like with open areas and station in the vicinity, the downside is that it's only got 61 years unexpired on the lease. There is not much else in Englefield Green suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error purchasing a short lease?

If you require a mortgage the remaining unexpired lease term will be a potential deal breaker. Reduce the price by the anticipated lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current owner has owned the premises for a minimum of 2 years you can request that they commence the lease extension formalities and pass it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the existing lease term and have £0 ground rent by law. You should speak to your conveyancing solicitor about this matter.

The conveyancers handling our conveyancing in Englefield Green has sent documents to review that state the land is unregistered with epitome documents. Surely all property in Englefield Green should be registered?

It is a rare occurrence indeed to find property in Englefield Green not to be registered. An 'epitome' is basically a dossier of photocopies of documents affecting an unregistered title. Many Englefield Green conveyancing practitioners should be capable of dealing with such matters but in the event that uncertainty prevails the standard advice presently is for the vendor’s solicitor to register it first and then sell - this can though naturally cause a significant delay.