I am not in a position to travel far from Hermon. I would like to know the understand why all Hermon lawyers are not on all lender panels?

Mortgage companies highlight the fact that solicitor-led fraud is considered to be responsible for millions of pounds of fraud annually.The removal of law firms off of lender panels started with the rise in mortgage fraud, which prompted a thematic review by the Financial Services Authority in 2011. Its conclusions included recommendations for lending institutions to review their conveyancing panels, which kicked off a major policy change in the sector. This resulted in lenders pruning a number of firms from their panel of approved lawyers .

I am acquiring a brand new duplex in Hermon and my lawyer is advising me that she has to the bank to disclose incentives from the developer. I am nearing the developer’s deadline to exchange and I don't want to prolong deal. Is my lawyer right?

You should not exchange unless you have been advised to do so by your conveyancer. A precondition to being on a lender panel is to comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook provisions. The CML Conveyancing Handbook requires that your lawyer have the appropriate Disclosure of Incentive form completed by the developer and accepted by your lender.

I am helping my step-mother sell her house in Hermon. Does the conveyancer arrange the energy assessment or should I organise this?

After the demise of HIPs, energy assessments remained a mandatory part of moving house. An EPC should be to hand prior to the property being marketed. This is not something that lawyers normally arrange. If you are instructing a Hermon conveyancing solicitor they might help arrange energy assessments due to their relationships with reputable Hermon providers

My bid for a property was accepted at auction in Hermon. Conveyancing is required. What happens now?

Given that you are now exchanged you will need to find a conveyancing solicitor as a matter of urgency as you are facing a pending deadline in which to complete the transaction. An auction property should have an associated legal set of papers. This should include evidence of title and search results. Where you are dealing with leasehold premises the conveyancing pack should contain a copy of the lease, management information and a sellers leasehold information form and associated conveyancing documentation specific to leasehold premises. You must pass this on to your appointed conveyancing solicitor as soon as possible. You also need to ensure that your finances are in order to complete on the on the contractual date .

Is it the case that all Hermon solicitors on the Santander conveyancing panel are overseen by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority?

As a firm of solicitors, in order to be on the Santander conveyancing panel they would need to be regulated by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority. The majority of mortgage companies do allow licenced conveyancers on their panel in which case such firms would be governed by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.

Given that I will soon spend £400,000 on 3 bedroom house in Hermon I would like to talk to a solicitor regarding thehouse move prior to instructing the firm. Can this be arranged?

This is something that we encourage - it is our preference to talk to you we do not take any clients on without you liaising with the solicitor who will be conducting your conveyancing in Hermon.There is no ‘factory style conveyancing’ - every client is an important person, not a file number. The law firms that we put you in touch with believe that the fees you are calculated and presented to you for residential conveyancing in Hermon should be the amount on the final invoice that you are charged.

In relation to leasehold conveyancing in Hermon what are the most frequent lease defects?

There is nothing unique about leasehold conveyancing in Hermon. Most leases are individual and drafting errors can sometimes mean that certain sections are erroneous. For example, if your lease is missing any of the following, it could be defective:

Maintenance charge proportions which don’t add up to the correct percentage

A defective lease will likely cause problems when trying to sell a property primarily because it impacts on the ability to obtain a mortgage on the property. Halifax, Barnsley Building Society, and Bank of Ireland all have express conveyancing instructions when it comes to what is expected in a lease. If a mortgage lender believes that the lease is defective they may refuse to grant the mortgage, forcing the purchaser to pull out.

I inherited a 1st floor flat in Hermon, conveyancing was carried out half a dozen years ago. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Corresponding flats in Hermon with a long lease are worth £190,000. The ground rent is £45 yearly. The lease comes to an end on 21st October 2086

With 62 years unexpired we estimate the price of your lease extension to range between £17,100 and £19,800 plus legals.

The figure above 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 other issues 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 placing reliance on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.