We have agreed to purchase a house in Fleetwood. An unusual aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Kent Reliance have issued a mortgage offer so presumably this is not a concern to them. Why is my solicitor raising questions about the panel?

As your lender is Kent Reliance your lawyer must check the formal instructions set out in Section two of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Kent Reliance. The CML Handbook sets out minimum provisions for solar panel roof-space leases, and conveyancing practitioners are required to report to Kent Reliance where a lease fails to satisfy these specifications. The requirements relate to the installation of panels on properties in England and Wales and is not limited to Fleetwood.

I have decided to exercise my right to buy my property in Fleetwood off the council. I have a mortgage offer with Skipton. Conveyancing is not something I have any knowledge of. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should have one. Any advice?

It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with Skipton, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Skipton conveyancing panel.

After months of negotiation I have agreed a price on an apartment in Fleetwood. My financial adviser suggested a property lawyer. I paid an on account payment of £225. Not long after, the solicitor contacted me to say that they were not on the Nationwide conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?

You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Nationwide panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.

Will our conveyancer be raising enquiries concerning flooding during the conveyancing in Fleetwood.

Flooding is a growing risk for conveyancers carrying out conveyancing in Fleetwood. There are those who buy a house in Fleetwood, completely aware that at some time, it may suffer from flooding. However, leaving to one side the physical destruction, where a property is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to obtain a mortgage, satisfactory insurance cover, or dispose of the premises. There are steps that can be taken as part of the conveyancing process to forewarn the buyer.

Conveyancers are not best placed to impart advice on flood risk, however there are a numerous searches that may be initiated by the buyer or on a buyer’s behalf which will give them a better understanding of the risks in Fleetwood. The conventional set of completed inquiry forms supplied to a buyer’s lawyer (where the solicitors are adopting what is known as the Conveyancing Protocol) contains a standard inquiry of the seller to find out if the property has historically flooded. In the event that the premises has been flooded in past which is not disclosed by the seller, then a purchaser could issue a legal claim for losses as a result of such an misleading answer. A buyer’s lawyers will also conduct an environmental search. This should higlight whether there is any known flood risk. If so, further investigations will need to be initiated.

I decided to have a survey done on a property in Fleetwood before retaining lawyers. I have been told that there is a flying freehold aspect to the house. Our surveyor has said that some lenders tend not issue a loan on this type of home.

It depends who your proposed lender is. Bank of Scotland has different instructions from Nationwide. Should you wish to telephone us we can investigate further with the appropriate bank. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Fleetwood. Conveyancing may be slightly more expensive based on your lender's requirements.

What does commercial conveyancing in Fleetwood cover?

Fleetwood conveyancing for business premises covers a broad range of advice, provided by regulated solicitors, relating to business premises. By way of example, this type of conveyancing can cover the sale or purchase of freehold business premises or, more usually, the assignment of existing leases or the drafting of new leasing arrangements. Commercial conveyancing solicitors can also offer advice on the sale of business assets, commercial loans and the termination of tenancies.

We are four weeks into a freehold purchase having been directed to conveyancers by the selling agent to handle our conveyancing in Fleetwood. I am not happy. Can you you assist me in finding new lawyers?

A solicitor would need to be really poor to suggest diss instructing them. Has your mortgage been issued? In the event that it has you must inform them of the replacement solicitor and have the loan are re-issued. Your conveyancer should be on the banks approved list to avoid supplemental charges and complications. That should be your first question of the new conveyancers. Our find a solicitor tool can assist you in finding a lender approved solicitor for your conveyancing in Fleetwood