I plan on buying a flat in Gerrards Cross. My Solicitor is not on the mortgage company conveyancing list. Am I still permitted to continue with my Gerrards Cross conveyancing solicitor notwithstanding that they are not on the mortgage company panel?

Your options include

• Complete the deal with your chosen Gerrards Cross lawyer but your bank will no doubt instruct a solicitor from their approved panel. This will result in additional fees and likely delay.
• Get a fresh solicitor to act in the purchase, ensuring that they are on the bank conveyancing panel.
• Convince your property lawyer to attempt to join the lender panel

My colleague recommended that if I am purchasing in Gerrards Cross I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. What does it cover?

This is a search is occasionally included in the estimate for your Gerrards Cross conveyancing searches. It is not a small document of more than thirty pages, listing and detailing significant information about Gerrards Cross around the property and the people living there. It incorporates an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the local Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the type of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average House Prices, Crime statistics, Gerrards Cross Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data about Gerrards Cross.

Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly picked up as part of conveyancing in Gerrards Cross?

Restrictive covenants can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the legal transfer of property in Gerrards Cross. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’

Due to the encouragement of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a property in Gerrards Cross in advance of retaining lawyers. I have been advised that there is a flying freehold aspect to the house. The surveyor advised that some lenders tend refuse to give a loan on a flying freehold property.

It varies from the lender to lender. Santander has different instructions for example to Nationwide. Should you wish to call us we can check with the relevant lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Gerrards Cross. Conveyancing will be smoother if you use a solicitor in Gerrards Cross especially if they regularly deal with such properties in Gerrards Cross.

My wife and I have recently appointed a conveyancing solicitor in Gerrards Cross. I need to find out if they are listed on the lender's conveyancing panel. Could you or the lender confirm if they are on the panel?

One option is to phone your solicitor to enquire if they are on the bank's approved list. Alternatively please call us and we can make some checks for you. If they are not on the bank panel we we can help find a quality conveyancing solicitor in Gerrards Cross on the approved list for your lender.