We are planning to acquire a property and need a conveyancing solicitor in Headingley who is on the solicitor panel. Could you point me in the right direction as regards a solicitor?

Our service is limited to being a directory service for firms who wish to be listed as being on the approved conveyancing panel for . We don't recommend any particular firms conducting conveyancing in Headingley.

My fiance and I are purchasing a newbuild flat in Headingley with a loan from .We use our Headingley conveyancing practitioner but says her practice is not on their "panel". We have to appoint a panel solicitor or retain our high street solicitor and fork out for one of their panel ones to represent them. This seems very unfair; Can we not simply insist that use our lawyer?

No, not really. The home loan issued to you is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that conveyancers will be on the solicitor panel. in the past, most mortgage companies had large numbers of solicitors on their panels: a borrower could find one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. Another option that might be available is for your lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel for

I currently have a mortgage with for my property in Headingley. Conveyancing has been completed a year ago. Should I wish to rent out my property and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a buy-to-let mortgage or inform ?

You must advise before renting your property as this is likely to be a breach of ’s mortgage conditions. In many cases banks or building societies will permit you to let out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact directly. You need not do this via a conveyancing panel solicitor.

After months of negotiation I have agreed a price on an apartment in Headingley. My financial adviser pressured me to appoint their . I paid an upfront payment of £175. Soon after, the contacted me to say that they were not on the 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 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.

I am selling my flat. I had a double glazing fitted in April 2006, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My buyer's mortgage company, are being a right pain. The Headingley solicitor who is on the conveyancing panel is recommending indemnity insurance as a solution but are insisting on a building regulation certificate. Why do have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?

It is probably the case that have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing was correctly and safely installed. The indemnity insurance merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.

I decided to have a survey done on a property in Headingley in advance of retaining conveyancers. I have been told that there is a flying freehold aspect to the property. The surveyor advised that some banks may refuse to issue a mortgage on a flying freehold home.

It depends who your proposed lender is. Lloyds has different requirements for example to Halifax. Should you wish to call us we can look into this further with the appropriate mortgage company. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Headingley. Conveyancing can be more complicated and therefore you should check with your conveyancing solicitor in Headingley to see if the conveyancing costs will increase in light of this.

I am tempted by the attractive purchase price for a couple of apartments in Headingley both have about 50 years remaining on the lease term. Should I regard a short lease as a deal breaker?

A lease is a legal document that entitles you to use the property for a period of time. As a lease shortens the saleability of the lease reduces and it becomes more expensive to acquire a lease extension. For this reason it is advisable to extend the lease term. More often than not it is difficult to sell a property with a short lease as mortgage companies may be unwilling to lend money on properties of this type. Lease enfranchisement can be a difficult process. We recommend you seek professional assistance from a solicitor and surveyor with experience in this field.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Headingley - Sample of Questions you should ask Prior to Purchasing

Is there a share of the freehold? Is anyone aware of any major works in the near future that will add a premium to the service fees? This question is useful as a) areas may cause problems in the block as the common areas may start to deteriorate if repairs remain unpaid b) if the leasehold owners have a dispute with the running of the building you will need to know about it