Are all Frome Conveyancing Quality Solicitors on the UBS conveyancing list of approved firms?

It is true that some lenders now utilise the accreditation scheme as the starting point for Panel approval such as HSBC and Santander. The Law Society’s CQS accreditation however gives no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. Nevertheless,the Council of Mortgage Lenders have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for solicitor practices wishing to remain on their panels.

We are getting a further advance on our home loan from Co-operative as we want to carry out renovations to our house in Frome. Are we obliged to appoint a nearby Frome solicitor on the Co-operative conveyancing panel to handle the paperwork?

Co-operative don't usually appoint firms on their approved list of lawyers to deal with such a matter. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Co-operative panel.

I have instructed a Frome 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. Your lawyer will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by your Frome postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Aldermore, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Frome.

I am purchasing a house and the conveyancer has identified Chancel Repair for which the house could be liable given it’s proximity to the area of such a church. He has suggested insurance. Is this really required for conveyancing in Frome

Unless a prior acquisition of the property completed after 12 October 2013 you could take it that conveyancing practitioners conducting conveyancing in Frome to remain recommending a chancel search and or chancel repair liability insurance.

Due to the advice of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a property in Frome prior to retaining conveyancers. I have been told that there is a flying freehold overhang to the house. Our surveyor has said that some lenders may refuse to issue a mortgage on such a property.

It depends who your proposed lender is. Santander has different instructions for example to Nationwide. If you call us we can check with the relevant bank. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Frome. Conveyancing can be more complicated and therefore you should check with your conveyancing solicitor in Frome to see if the conveyancing will be more expensive.

Given that I am about to spend hundreds of thousands of pounds on a terraced house in Frome I wish to have a conversation with the lawyer concerning thehouse move prior to giving the go ahead to the firm. Is this something that you can arrange?

This is something that we encourage - it is our preference to talk to you we do not take any clients on without you first talking to the conveyancer who will be doing your property ownership legalities in Frome.There is no ‘factory style conveyancing’ - each client is unique individual, not a matter number. The law firms that we put you in touch with believe that the fees you are provided with for residential conveyancing in Frome should be the amount on the final invoice that you end up paying.

Do you have any advice for leasehold conveyancing in Frome with the purpose of expediting the sale process?

• A significant proportion of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Frome can be bypassed where you get in touch lawyers as soon as your agents start advertising the property and ask them to collate the leasehold documentation which will be required by the purchasers’ representatives.
Some Frome leases require Landlord’s consent to the sale and approval of the buyers. If this applies to your lease, you should notify your estate agents to make sure that the purchasers put in hand bank and professional references. Any bank reference should make it clear that the buyer is financially capable of paying the yearly service charge and the actual amount of the service charge should be quoted in the bank’s letter. You will therefore need to provide your estate agents with the actual amount of the service charge so that they can pass this information on to the buyers or their solicitors. You believe that you know the number of years remaining on your lease but you should double-check via your conveyancers. A buyer’s conveyancer will not be happy to advise their client to to exchange contracts if the lease term is under 75 years. It is therefore important at an early stage that you consider whether the lease for your property needs extending. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your property on the market for sale. If there is a history of any disputes with your freeholder or managing agents it is essential that these are resolved before the property is marketed. The purchasers and their solicitors will be reluctant to purchase a flat where there is an ongoing dispute. You may need to swallow your pride and discharge any arrears of service charge or settle the dispute prior to the buyers completing the purchase. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled prior to the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You will still have to reveal particulars of the dispute to the purchasers, but it is better to present the dispute as over rather than ongoing. If you have carried out any alterations to the property would they have required Landlord’s approval? Have you, for example installed wooden flooring? Frome leases often stipulate that internal structural alterations or installing wooden flooring require a licence from the Landlord consenting to such works. Where you fail to have the consents to hand do not communicate with the landlord without contacting your lawyer in the first instance.

Frome Leasehold Conveyancing - Sample of Queries before Purchasing

Is the freehold reversion owned jointly by the leaseholders? For many Frome leaseholds the cost for major works tend not to be included within maintenance charges, although a few managing agents in Frome obliged leaseholders to pay into a sinking fund and this is used to offset against larger works. Where a Frome lease has fewer than eighty years it will have adverse implications on the salability of the flat. It is worth checking with your lender that they are content with remaining years on the lease. A short lease means that you will most likely have to extend the lease sooner rather than later and it is worth discovering how much this would cost. For most Fromelease extensions you would be required to have owned the property for two years in order to be eligible to carry out a lease extension.