In what way does my ID and proof of funds have anything to do with my conveyancing in Hawkhurst? Why is this being asked of me?

To satisfy the Money Laundering Regulations any Hawkhurst conveyancing firm will require evidence of your identity in all conveyancing transactions. This is usually dealt with by provision of a passport and an original bank statement or utility bill evidencing where you live.

In accordance with Money Laundering Regulations, conveyancing solicitors are required to check not just the ID of conveyancing clients but also the origin of fund that they receive in respect of any matter. An unwillingness to disclose this will lead to your solicitor ending their relationship with you, as clearly this will cause a conflict between the set Regulations and a refusal to disclose.

Your property lawyers are duty bound to notify the appropriate authorities should they consider that any monies received by them may contravene the Anti-terror and anti-money-laundering rules.

When it comes to lenders such as Nottingham, do Hawkhurst conveyancing practitioners have to pay a yearly amount to be on the list of approved solicitors?

We are not aware of any bank fees to register on their panel, although some do charge an administration fee to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel submission.

I have today made my last payment due on my mortgage with HSBC. I assume I don't need a Hawkhurst solicitor on the HSBC panel to discharge the mortgage at the Land Registry. Please confirm.

If you have finished paying off your HSBC mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the HSBC mortgage from the register. HSBC, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:

1. but are not moving to another property
2. where HSBC has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
3. HSBC has instructed the Land Registry to do so

I can not fathom if my mortgage offer requires a lease extension. I have called my Hawkhurst building society branch on a couple of occasions and was informed it wasn't a problem and they will lend. My Hawkhurst conveyancing solicitor - who is on the mortgage company conveyancing panel- telephoned to say that they refuse to lend based on their specific requirements. I have no idea who is right.

Your property lawyer must comply with the CML Handbook Part 2 conditions for your bank. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that the bank will go ahead, your lawyer has no choice but to refrain from exchanging contract and committing you to the purchase. We would suggest that you ask the bank to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the number of years remaining.

I am looking into buying my first house which is in Hawkhurst and I am already nervous. I couldn't find anything specific about Hawkhurst. Conveyancing will be needed in due course but do you know about the Hawkhurst area? or perhaps some other tips you can share?

Rather than looking online forget looking online you should go and have a look at Hawkhurst. In the meantime here are some basic statistics that we found

Estate agents have just been given the go-ahead to market my ground floor apartment in Hawkhurst. Conveyancing solicitors are to be appointed soon, however I have recently had a quarterly maintenance charge demand – Do I pay up?

It best that you discharge the invoice as normal given that all rents and maintenance charges will be allotted as part of the financial calculations for completion monies, so you should recover the relevant percentage by the buyer for the period running from after the completion date to the subsequent invoice date. Most managing agents will not acknowledge the buyer until the service charges have been paid and are up to date, so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. Having a clear account will assist your cause and will leave you no worse off financially.

I purchased a leasehold flat in Hawkhurst, conveyancing formalities finalised July 2010. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Similar flats in Hawkhurst with over 90 years remaining are worth £176,000. The ground rent is £50 per annum. The lease expires on 21st October 2104

You have 80 years unexpired we estimate the price of your lease extension to range between £8,600 and £9,800 as well as legals.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to provide a more accurate figure in the absence of comprehensive due diligence. You should not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be additional concerns that need to be considered and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not take any other action based on this information without first getting professional advice.

My step-son is just in the process of moving house, he had his mortgage in principle. After the seller agreed the offer on the apartment we contacted the bank to issue the formal offer. I was very surprised to hear that mortgage companies do not accept all property lawyer, they must be on their panel, is this legal?

Banks tend to imposes restrictions either the type or the number of conveyancing solicitors on their approved list of lawyers. A common example of such restriction(s) being that a firm must have two or more partners. In addition to restricting the type of firm, some have decided to limit the number of firms they use to represent them. You should note that lenders have no responsibility for the quality of advice provided by any Hawkhurst lawyer on their panel. Mortgage fraud was a key driver in the rationalisation of conveyancing panels a few years ago and whilst there are differing views about the extent of solicitor involvement in some of that fraud. Statistics from the Land Registry reveal that thousands of law firms only carry out one or two conveyances a year. Those supporting conveyancing panel cuts ask why law firms should have the right to be on a Lender panel when clearly, conveyancing is not their speciality. To put it another way; would you want a conveyancing solicitor to represent you if you were charged with a crime? Presumably not.