I was told recently by my mortgage adviser that my Hertford lawyer is not on the lender Conveyancing panel. How can I be sure that this is correct?

You need to call your Hertford conveyancer. You lawyer should notify you what has happened. If they are not on the panel they may be able to suggest a Hertford conveyancing firm that is on the conveyancing panel for your bank.

The Hertford conveyancing solicitors that I recently instructed on my house acquisition in Hertford have without warning closed. I chose them because I needed a lawyer on the UBS conveyancing panel and my preferred Hertford lawyer was not. I paid them £170 in advance. What are my options?

Assuming that you have an Estate Agent in the equation then inform them immediately so that they can let the sellers know that there may be a slight delay due to reasons beyond your control. Hopefully they will be sympathetic and urge their lawyer to send a new set of papers to your new solicitors. You will need to appoint new lawyers that are on the UBS conveyancing panel and notify the lender. If you have paid over any money, it will hopefully be held by the SRA as money in an intervened firm's bank accounts is transferred to the SRA. Then, the SRA or the intervention agent looks at the intervened firm's accounts to work out who the money belongs to. To claim your money you will need to contact the SRA. If the SRA cannot return money you are owed from the firm's bank accounts, or if they can only return part of the money, you can apply to the Compensation Fund for a grant. Your new lawyers should be in a position to assist.

Will commercial conveyancing searches reveal proposed roadworks that could impact a commercial estate in Hertford?

Its becoming the norm that commercial conveyancing solicitors in Hertford will conduct a SiteSolutions Highways report as it reduces the time that conveyancers expend in investigating accurate data on highways that impact buildings and development assets in Hertford. The report provides definitive information on the adoption status of roads, footpaths and verges, as well as the implication of traffic schemes and the rights of way surrounding a commercial development sites in Hertford.

For every commercial conveyancing transaction in Hertford it is crucial to investigate the adoption status of roads surrounding a site. Failure to identify developments where adoption procedures have not been dealt with adequately could cause delays to Hertford commercial conveyancing transactions as well as present a risk to future intentions for the site. These searches are not carried out for residential conveyancing in Hertford.

Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to my house can not be found. The conveyancers who conducted the conveyancing in Hertford 5 years ago are no longer around. What are my next steps?

As long as the title is registered the information relating to your ownership will be retained by the Land Registry under a Title Number. It is easy to execute a search at the Land Registry, locate your property and order up to date copies of the property title for a small fee. Where the property is Leasehold then the Land Registry will also normally retain a certified copy of the Registered Lease and again, a copy can be obtained for a small fee.

What are your top tips when it comes to finding a Hertford conveyancing practice to deal with our lease extension?

If you are instructing a conveyancer for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Hertford conveyancing firm) it is most important that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of conveyancing. We recommend that you speak with several firms including non Hertford conveyancing practices prior to instructing a firm. Where the conveyancing practice is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. The following questions could be helpful:

Can they put you in touch with clients in Hertford who can give a testimonial?

Leasehold Conveyancing in Hertford - A selection of Questions you should ask before Purchasing

Who takes charge for maintaining and repairing the block? How is the lease structured? Be sure to enquire if there are any onerous restrictions in the lease. For instance it is fairly common in Hertford leases that pets are not permitted in certain buildings in Hertford. If you love the propertyin Hertford but your cat is not allowed to make the move with you then you will be presented with a difficult compromise.