I was notified recently by my mortgage adviser that my Hatfield property lawyer is not on the lender Solicitor panel. How can I check?

The best course of action for you to take is to call your Hatfield conveyancer. You lawyer should notify you what has happened. If they are not on the panel they may recommend you to a Hatfield conveyancing firm that is on the approved list of lawyers for your mortgage company.

Forgive me if this question is silly but I am wet behind the ears as FTB of a two bedroom flat in Hatfield. Do I pick up the keys to the property on the completion date from my solicitor? If this is the case, I will instruct a local conveyancing solicitor in Hatfield?

There is no need to visit the lawyers office on the day of completion. Conveyancing lawyers for you will transfer the completion advance to the seller's solicitors, and once they have received this, you will be invited to collect the keys from the property Agents and start moving into the property. This tends to happen early afternoon.

We had appointed conveyancers based in Hatfield on the Aldermore solicitor panel. They are now charging me a separate amount for dealing with the Aldermore mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee set by Aldermore?

Unfortunately, as long as it is in their Terms and Conditions or Quote then yes your lawyer may levy a fee for this. This fee is not dictated by Aldermore but by your Hatfield property lawyer. Plenty of firms on the Aldermore panel will quote ’dealing with mortgage’ fee but plenty of firms incorporate it on their overall fee.

We have agreed to purchase a house in Hatfield. An unusual aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Solicitors conducting should look into this right? Will my lender Leeds Building Society be concerned?

Given that you are obtaining a mortgage with Leeds Building Society your lawyer must follow the formal requirements outlined in Section 2 of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Leeds Building Society. The CML Handbook contains minimum specifications for solar panel roof-space leases, and property lawyers are required to report to Leeds Building Society where a lease does not comply with these conditions. The conditions relate to the installation of panels on properties countrywide and is not isolated to Hatfield.

What will a local search inform me about the house my wife and I buying in Hatfield?

Hatfield conveyancing often commences with the submitting local authority searches directly from your local Authority or through a personal search organisations for example PSG The local search is essential in every Hatfield conveyancing purchase; that is if you wish to avoid any unpleasant once you have moved into your property. The search should reveal information on, amongst other things, details on planning applications applicable to the premises (whether granted or refused), building control history, any enforcement action, restrictions on permitted development, nearby road schemes, contaminated land and radon gas; in all a total of thirteen topic areas.

I am buying a new build house in Hatfield with a mortgage from Coventry Building Society. The sellers refused to move on the price so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of extras instead. The property agent advised me not inform my lawyer about the extras as it will impact my mortgage with Coventry Building Society. Is this normal?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the developer of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.

Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.

Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.

What are my options where I am dissatisfied with the conveyancing practitioner who did our conveyancing in Hatfield?

We live in an imperfect world, and unfortunately occasionally matters do not go as planned. Nevertheless there is recourse if you were not happy with your conveyancing in Hatfield. This varies from trying to resolve matters directly with them, through to reporting a lawyer to their regulator. If things still aren’t resolved you may consider getting in touch with the Legal Ombudsman.