I am hoping to receive a offer of a home loan from Santander. I hope to instruct a Licensed Conveyancer in Oval. Does the Santander Conveyancing panel allow for conveyancers regulated by the CLC?

The Santander conveyancing panel is, like many other lenders, associated to the CML or Building Society Association, open to Licensed Conveyancers regulated by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.

The sellers of the property we are purchasing hired a conveyancing solicitor in Oval who has suggested a exclusivity contract with a deposit of 5k. Are such agreements sensible?

There are a couple of primary downsides with signing a lock out contract (sometimes referred to as a no-shop agreement) is that it diverts attention away from moving forward with the conveyancing transaction itself, so unless it requires minimal or no negotiation then it may turn out to be unhelpful. It is not particularly popular by Oval conveyancing practitioners for this reason. The other main concern is the extent of the remedies available - a jilted buyer is not likely to be granted an injunction to prohibit the vendor completing the sale to an alternative purchaser, so the only remedy open via the agreement will be the reimbursement of abortive charges and, in restricted scenarios, the extra payment of penalties.

Forgive me if this question is silly but I am unexperienced as FTB of a ground floor flat in Oval. Do I collect the keys to the premises on the completion date from my conveyancer? If so, I will find a High Street conveyancing solicitor in Oval?

There is no need to visit the lawyers office on the day of completion. Your solicitors will arrange to send the purchase money to the owner’s solicitors, and once they have received this, you should be called to collect the keys from the Estate Agents and start moving into the property. This tends to happen early afternoon.

I am buying a property in Oval. One unusual aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Coventry BS have issued a mortgage offer so presumably this is not a concern to them. Why is my solicitor raising questions about the panel?

As your lender is Coventry BS your lawyer must comply with the formal requirements outlined in Part two of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Coventry BS. The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook stipulates minimum specifications for solar panel roof-space leases, and property lawyers are required to report to Coventry BS where a lease does not comply with these provisions. The requirements relate to the installation of panels on properties countrywide and is not isolated to Oval.

I can not work out if my mortgage offer obliges me to make sure the lease term for the flat is extended prior to the completion date. I have called my Oval bank branch on a couple of occasions and was told they are content with the situation and they would lend. My Oval conveyancing solicitor - who is on the lender conveyancing panel- called and was told they refuse to lend in accordance with their UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook minimum lease term requirements. I simply don't know who is right.

The solicitor has to comply with the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook Part 2 requirements for your lender. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that the bank will go ahead, your lawyer has no choice but to refrain from exchanging contract and committing you to the purchase. We would suggest that you ask the bank to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the number of years left on the lease.

I have been on the look out for a flat up to £235,500 and found one round the corner in Oval I like with a park and railway links nearby, the downside is that it's only got 51 remaining years left on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Oval in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake purchasing a short lease?

Should you require a home loan that many years will be problematic. Discount the offer by the expected lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the existing owner has owned the property for at least twenty four months you can request that they commence the lease extension formalities and then assign it to you. You can add 90 years to the existing lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should consult your conveyancing lawyer about this matter.

My property lawyer in Oval has informed me that he requires identification documents stating that this is part of his requirements as a conveyancer on the bank Conveyancing panel. Am I being spun a yarn?

Anti-terror and anti-money-laundering rules require Oval conveyancing solicitors and licensed conveyancers to verify the identity of the person or body they are dealing with before they can accept their conveyancing business. The Client Care letter that you need to sign will no doubt confirm this. Your lawyer is right that the lender also require certain documents to be viewed. If a you refuse to provide ID verification documents, your conveyancer would not be able to accept instructions from you. Your lawyer also has obligations to obtain certain documents in accordance with the mortgage company's UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook requirements