My apartment in Hermon is up for sale and I have a purchaser. Will my property lawyer have to be required to be on the Aldermore conveyancing panel in order to deal with repayment of my mortgage?

Ordinarily, even if your lawyer is not on the Aldermore conveyancing panel they can still act for you on your sale. It might be that the lender will not release the original deeds (if applicable and increasingly irrelevant) until after the mortgage is paid off. You should speak to your lawyer directly before you start the process though to ensure that there is no problem as lenders are changing their requirements fairly frequently at the moment.

We previously chose conveyancing lawyers with offices in Hermon on the HSBC solicitor approved list. They are now charging me a further amount for the legal aspects of the HSBC mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee specified by HSBC?

Unfortunately, as long as it is in their Terms and Conditions or estimate then yes your conveyancer is entitled to charge a fee for this. The fee is not set by HSBC but by your Hermon conveyancing practitioner. Numerous firms on the HSBC panel will quote ’dealing with mortgage’ fee and others do not.

I am currently in the process of buying my council flat in Hermon. I have a mortgage agreed with Nottingham. Conveyancing is not something I have any knowledge of. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should have one. Any advice?

It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with Nottingham, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Nottingham conveyancing panel.

Skipton have agreed my home loan in principle, my bid on a flat in Hermon has been agreed to, what are the next steps?

Your property agent will want to know who your solicitors are (ensure that the solicitors are on the lender’s approved list). Telephone Skipton or your financial adviser and finalise any appropriate documentation. Skipton will sellect a valuer who will get in contact with the estate agent or seller to book a time for the valuation to happen. Once conducted (assuming no problems) it takes approximately a week to receive the mortgage offer. Skipton will send the offer to you and your lawyers. The transaction will then take it’s course according the nature and complexity of the conveyancing in Hermon.

I need some expedited conveyancing in Hermon as I have pressure to sign on the dotted line in less than 2 weeks. A mortgage is not required. Is it possible to escape the need for conveyancing searches to save fees and time?

As you are are a cash purchaser you have the choice not to do searches although no conveyancer would advise that you don't. Drawing on our experience of conveyancing in Hermon the following are instances of what can crop up and adversely impact market value: Refused Planning Applications, Outstanding Fees, Outstanding Grants, Road Schemes,...

I opted to have a survey done on a house in Hermon before retaining solicitors. I have been told that there is a flying freehold overhang to the house. Our surveyor has said that some mortgage companies tend not issue a loan on a flying freehold house.

It depends who your proposed lender is. Lloyds has different requirements from Nationwide. If you contact us we can investigate further via the relevant mortgage company. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Hermon. Conveyancing will be smoother if you use a solicitor in Hermon especially if they regularly deal with such properties in Hermon.

I have recently realised that I have 68 years unexpired on my flat in Hermon. I now want to get lease extension but my landlord is absent. What options are available to me?

If you meet the appropriate requirements, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the County Court for for permission to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will enable the lease to be extended by the magistrate. You will be obliged to prove that you have used your best endeavours to find the lessor. For most situations an enquiry agent should be helpful to try and locate and prepare an expert document to be used as evidence that the freeholder can not be located. It is wise to seek advice from a solicitor both on investigating the landlord’s absence and the vesting order request to the County Court overseeing Hermon.

Hermon Leasehold Conveyancing - Examples of Questions you should consider before Purchasing

How many of the leaseholders are in arrears for their maintenance charge payments? You should be aware if it is fewer than eighty years it will have adverse implications on the salability of the flat. Check with your mortgage company that they are content with the length of the lease. A short lease means that you will almost definitely have to extend the lease at some point and it is worth discovering what this would cost. For most Hermonlease extensions you will be required to have been the owner of the premises for a couple of years in order to be entitled to extend the lease. It is important to be aware whether a new roof is being installed or some other significant cost is coming up that will be shared amongst the leasehold owners and will dramatically increase the the service costs or necessitate a specific invoice.