Due to complete my purchase in Holywell next Friday. I have now been asked to send a copy of my building insurance schedule by my solicitor as he says that he has to check this in his capacity as lawyer for the mortgage company. What risks does the mortgage company expect the insurance to cover?

All property lawyers on acting for banks would need to check that the following risks are covered fire; lightning; aircraft; explosion; earthquake; storm; flood; escape of water or oil; riot; malicious damage; theft or attempted theft; falling trees and branches and aerials; subsidence; heave;landslip;collision;accidental damage to underground services;professional fees, demolition and site clearance costs; and public liability to anyone else. There are some other issues such as the level of excess that are set out in a lender’s Part 2 conditions. These obligations are not specific to conveyancing in Holywell.

The Holywell conveyancing firm that just started acting on my purchase in Holywell have suddenly shut down. I chose them because I needed a solicitor on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel and my previous Holywell lawyer was not. I issued them a cheque for £250 in advance. What are my options?

Assuming that you have an Estate Agent in the equation then inform them straight away 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 should appoint new lawyers that are on the Kent Reliance 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 help.

I own a 4 bedroom Victorian property in Holywell. Conveyancing practitioner acted for me and Clydesdale. I did a free Land Registry search last week and there are a couple of entries: the first freehold, the second leasehold with the exact same address. Is it worth asking Clydesdale to clarify?

You should assess the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Holywell and other locations in the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they sell they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with mortgage companies. You can also question the situation with the conveyancing solicitor who conducted the conveyancing.

Due to the encouragement of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a house in Holywell prior to retaining lawyers. I have been advised that there is a flying freehold element to the property. Our surveyor has said that some mortgage companies may not grant a mortgage on this type of property.

It varies from the lender to lender. Santander has different requirements for example to Birmingham Midshires. If you call us we can look into this further with the relevant mortgage company. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Holywell. Conveyancing can be more complicated and therefore you should check with your conveyancing solicitor in Holywell to see if the conveyancing costs will increase in light of this.

Expecting to complete next month on a basement flat in Holywell. Conveyancing solicitors have said that they report fully next week. What should I be looking out for?

Your report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in Holywell should include some of the following:

You should be informed what counts as a Nuisance as far as the lease is concerned How long the lease is. You should receive guidance as what happens when the lease expires, and informed of the importance of the 80 year mark An explanation concerning the obligations in the lease to pay service charges - in respect of the block, and the wider rights a lessee has Will you be prohibited or prevented from having pets in the property? You should have a good understanding of the insurance obligations

Holywell Leasehold Conveyancing - Examples of Queries before buying

Its a good idea to discover as much as possible about the company managing the block as they can either make living at the property much easier or problematic. Being a leasehold owner you will be at the mercy of the managing agents both financially and when it comes to practical matters like the upkeep of the common parts. Ask prospective neighbours if they are happy with them. In conclusion, investigate as to the dates that you are obliged pay the service charge to the managing agents and specifically what it includes. Are there any major works in the near future that will increase the service charges?