I am nearing exchange of contracts for my ground floor flat in North Walsham and the EA has just called to say that the purchasers are swapping law firm. The excuse is that the lender will only work with property lawyers on their conveyancing panel. Why would a leading lender only work with certain law firms rather the firm that they want to select to handle their conveyancing in North Walsham ?

UK lenders have always had an approved set of law firms they are content to work with, but in recent years big names such as Santander, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have worked with them for many years.

Lenders point to the increase in fraud by way of justification for the pruning – criteria have been narrowed as a smaller panel is easier to keep an eye on. Banks tend not to reveal how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society claims that it is hearing daily from firms that have been removed from panels. Plenty of firms do not even realise they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyers' case. Your buyers are not going to have any impact on this.

My lender has suggested a law firm on their panel based in North Walsham but I would rather use a conveyancing lawyer in North Walsham or nearer to where I live. Can you assist?

Not all North Walsham conveyancing firms are approved and listed on all banks conveyancing panel. Use our search tool to choose a North Walsham conveyancing firm on the on the mortgage company panel.

Should our conveyancer be raising enquiries regarding flooding as part of the conveyancing in North Walsham.

Flooding is a growing risk for solicitors conducting conveyancing in North Walsham. Some people will purchase a house in North Walsham, fully aware that at some time, it may be flooded. However, leaving to one side the physical destruction, where a property is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to obtain a mortgage, suitable building insurance, or sell the property. There are steps that can be taken during the course of a property purchase to forewarn the buyer.

Conveyancers are not qualified to give advice on flood risk, however there are a numerous checks that can be carried out by the buyer or by their solicitors which will figure out the risks in North Walsham. The conventional set of information given to a buyer’s lawyer (where the Conveyancing Protocol is adopted) includes a usual inquiry of the vendor to discover if the property has suffered from flooding. If flooding has previously occurred and is not disclosed by the owner, then a purchaser could bring a compensation claim as a result of such an incorrect reply. The purchaser’s lawyers may also conduct an environmental report. This should reveal if there is a recorded flood risk. If so, more detailed investigations should be made.

Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to our house are lost. The solicitors who dealt with the conveyancing in North Walsham 4 years ago have long since closed. What are my next steps?

Gone are the days when you need to have the physical original deeds to evidence that you are the registered proprietor of land or premises, as the Land Registry hold details of all registered land or property electronically.

I've found a house that appears to meet my requirements, at a great figure which is making it more attractive. I have since discovered that the title is leasehold as opposed to freehold. I would have thought that there are particular concerns purchasing a house with a leasehold title in North Walsham. Conveyancing advisers have are about to be appointed. Will they explain the issues?

Most houses in North Walsham are freehold rather than leasehold. In this scenario it’s worth having a local conveyancer who is familiar with the area who can help the conveyancing process. We note that you are purchasing in North Walsham in which case you should be looking for a North Walsham conveyancing practitioner and be sure that they have experience in transacting on leasehold houses. As a matter of priority you will need to check the unexpired lease term. As a tenant you will not be at liberty to do whatever you want to the property. The lease comes with conditions for example requiring the landlord’spermission to carry out changes to the property. You may also be required to pay a service charge towards the maintenance of the estate where the house is part of an estate. Your lawyer will advise you fully on all the issues.

North Walsham Leasehold Conveyancing - A selection of Queries Prior to Purchasing

What is the length of the lease? Most North Walsham leasehold apartments will incur a service charge for maintenance of the building levied by the freeholder. Where you acquire the apartment you will have to meet this contribution, usually in instalments during the year. This can vary from a few hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for large purpose-built buildings. There will also be a ground rent to be met annual, ordinarily this is not a large figure, say approximately £25-£75 but you need to check it because sometimes it can be surprisingly expensive. Best to be warned whether changing the roof or some other major work is due in the near future to be shared by the leaseholders and will dramatically impact the level of the service charges or result in a specific payment.