We are buying a 2 bedroom flat in Fenstanton with a mortgage. We like our Fenstanton conveyancer, however the bank advise he's not on their "panel". It appears that we have little option but to select one of the bank panel firms or retain our Fenstanton solicitor and pay for one of their panel firms to act for them. We regard this is inequitable; are we not able to demand that the lender use our Fenstanton lawyer ?

Unfortunately,no. 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 Fenstanton conveyancing lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.

I purchased my apartment on 12 June and my personal details is not yet on the land registry website. Should I be concerned? My conveyancing solicitor in Fenstanton advises it will be registered in less than a month. Are properties in Fenstanton particularly slow to register?

There is nothing unique when it comes to conveyancing in Fenstanton registration formalities. Rather than based on location, timescales can adjust subject to the party submitting the application, whether there are errors and whether the Land registry have to notify any third persons or bodies. At present roughly three quarters of submission are fully addressed within two weeks but occasionally there can be extensive hold-ups. Historically registration takes place after the buyer has moved in to the premises so an expedited registration is not always primary concern yet where it is urgent that the the registration takes place urgently then you or your conveyancer could communicate with the Registry to express the reasoning for an expedited registration.

Over the last few months I have been searching for a flat up to £195,000 and found one near me in Fenstanton I like with a park and station nearby, the downside is that it's only got 52 years on the lease. There is not much else in Fenstanton suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake acquiring a short lease?

If you require a home loan that many years will likely be an issue. Reduce the price by the expected lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current proprietor has owned the premises for at least twenty four months you can request that they commence the lease extension formalities and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the current lease term with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing solicitor concerning this.

I need to retain a conveyancing solicitor for my conveyancing in Fenstanton. I happened to chance upon a web site which appears to be the perfect offering If it is possible to get all formalities done via email that would be preferable. Should I be wary? What should out be looking out for?

As usual with these online conveyancers you need to read ALL the small print - did you notice the extra charge for dealing with the mortgage?

I have finally had an offer on an apartment in Fenstanton agreed to, the owner does nevertheless have a tied purchase. The owners have offered on a property, however it’s not yet agreed to, and has viewings of other properties in the pipeline. I have chosen a local conveyancing lawyer in Fenstanton. What do I do now? At what stage should I apply for the mortgage with HSBC?

It is standard to have concerns where there is an associated chain given your reluctance to be too out of pocket prematurely (mortgage application is in the region of £1k, then survey, Fenstanton conveyancing search fees, etc). The first course of action is to check that your lawyer is on the HSBC conveyancing panel. Regarding the subsequent phase this very much dictated by the specifics of your transaction, desire for this property and on the state of the market. In a rising market many home buyers would apply for a home loan with HSBC and arrange for the survey and only if it was satisfactory would they pay their property lawyer to proceed with searches.