The Padstow conveyancing firm that I recently instructed on my house acquisition in Padstow have suddenly closed. They were on acting for me because I had to have a solicitor on the conveyancing panel and my family Padstow lawyer was not. I paid them 275 plus VAT in advance. What do I do now?

If you have an estate agent involved then inform them straight away so that they advise the vendors that there may be a slight delay due to reasons beyond your control. Most sellers would 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 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 solicitors may be able to assist.

Various web forums that I have come across warn that are a common cause of obstruction in Padstow conveyancing transactions. Is that correct?

The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) published determinations of research by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not figure within the most frequent causes of delays in the conveyancing process. Searches are not likely to be the root cause of slowing down conveyancing in Padstow.

Just had an offer accepted on a new build apartment in Padstow. Conveyancing is a frightening process at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. Can you give me some examples of some of the questions asked in new build conveyancing.

Set out below are examples of a selection of leasehold new build enquiries that you can expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Padstow

The Lease must contain a provision on behalf of the Vendor to pay the service charges in respect of unoccupied units in order to ensure that all services can be provided. Please confirm the Lease plans are surveyor prepared. If there are lifts in the building, please confirm that the owners of flats on the ground and basement floors will not be required to contribute towards the cost of maintenance and renewal. Where there is an Undertaking being granted there is the risk of forfeiture of the Headlease subject to relief if one or more of the Underlessees are willing to accept the original Head Lessee’s obligations as otherwise relief will be denied to the Underlessees. The only alternatives are the Head Lessor agreeing not to forfeit the Headlease or the Head Lessee guaranteeing to the Underlessees that it will not be in breach of the Headlease.

I opted to have a survey done on a house in Padstow in advance of retaining solicitors. I have been told that there is a flying freehold element to the house. Our surveyor advised that some lenders tend not give a mortgage on such a premises.

It depends who your proposed lender is. HSBC has different requirements from Nationwide. Should you wish to telephone us we can investigate further via the appropriate bank. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Padstow. Conveyancing will be smoother if you use a solicitor in Padstow especially if they are acquainted with such properties in Padstow.

What does commercial conveyancing in Padstow cover?

Commercial conveyancing in Padstow incorporates a broad range of services, given by qualified solicitors, relating to business property. For instance, this type of conveyancing can cover the sale or purchase of freehold business premises or, more commonly, the transfer of existing business tenancies or the drafting of new leasing arrangements. Commercial conveyancing solicitors can also offer advice on the sale of business assets, commercial loans and the termination of tenancies.