I have given 8 weeks notice to my existing landlord and must leave my let out property in Repton by the end of next month. Conveyancing for my house purchase is progressing. Can I complete in 5 weeks as don't want to have to move into temporary accommodation?

The normal practice is not to serve notice for your lease unless you have exchanged. Assuming that you have not already done so, speak to your solicitor and request that they chase the other solicitors, try to a target completion date that everyone will look to achieve

This question may be naive but I am wet behind the ears as a 1st time buyer of a two bedroom flat in Repton. Do I pick up the keys to the house on completion from my lawyer? If this is the case, I will appoint a local conveyancing solicitor in Repton?

There is no need to visit the lawyers office on the day of completion. Conveyancing lawyers for you will arrange to send the completion advance to the vendor’s conveyancers, and once they have received this, you will be invited to receive the keys from the Estate Agents and move into your new home. Usually this occurs early afternoon.

My wife and I purchasing a terrace house in Repton. The intention is to carry out a loft conversion at the house.Will the conveyancing process involve investigations to ascertain if these alterations are prohibited?

Your property lawyer will review the registered title as conveyancing in Repton will on occasion reveal restrictions in the title documents which restrict certain works or necessitated the permission of a 3rd party. Many works require local authority planning permissions and approval under the building regulations. Many locations are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which frequently prevent or impact extensions. You should check these issues with a surveyor ahead of any purchase.

I recently had an offer accepted on a house in Repton. My financial adviser suggested a conveyancer. I paid an upfront payment of £200. Soon after, the solicitor called me embarrassingly acknowledging that they were not on the Co-operative conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?

You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Co-operative panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.

Should our lawyer be making enquiries concerning flooding as part of the conveyancing in Repton.

The risk of flooding is if increasing concern for lawyers carrying out conveyancing in Repton. Some people will purchase a house in Repton, completely aware that at some time, it may suffer from flooding. 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 insurance cover, or dispose of the premises. There are steps that can be taken during the course of a property purchase to forewarn the buyer.

Solicitors are not qualified to impart advice on flood risk, but there are a number of searches that may be undertaken by the purchaser or by their conveyancers which should give them a better understanding of the risks in Repton. The standard completed inquiry forms given to a purchaser’s lawyer (where the Conveyancing Protocol is adopted) includes a usual inquiry of the vendor to discover whether the premises has historically flooded. In the event that flooding has previously occurred and is not disclosed by the seller, then a purchaser may commence a compensation claim resulting from an incorrect answer. A purchaser’s solicitors may also carry out an environmental report. This should disclose if there is any known flood risk. If so, further investigations should be carried out.

My company is wishing to lease a unit on a shopping parade. Can you recommend lawyers offering fixed charges for non-domestic conveyancing in Repton for below 2k?

We are happy to recommend firms who have an in-depth of experience of commercial conveyancing in Repton, including the disposal and acquisition of businesses as well as simply premises. If you are hoping to acquire or sell a shop, pub, restaurant, office, retail unit or a whole business we will put you in touch with the right lawyer. Regarding the costs these will vary based on the structure and terms of the proposed transaction. Let us have your contact information or call us so that we may furnish you with a detailed commercial conveyancing calculation.

My son is about to join the property ladder, he had his mortgage in principle. After the offer was accepted on apartment we rang the bank to issue the formal offer. I was disappointed to learn that mortgage companies do not accept all property lawyer, they must be on their panel, is this right?

Banks normally imposes restrictions either the type or the number of conveyancing firms on their panel. Typical examples of such restriction(s) being that a firm must have two or more partners. In addition to restricting the type of firm, some have decided to limit the number of firms they use to represent them. You should note that banks have no responsibility for the quality of advice provided by any Repton solicitor on their panel. Mortgage fraud was a key driver in the rationalisation of conveyancing panels a few years ago and whilst there are differing views about the extent of solicitor involvement in some of that fraud. Statistics from the Land Registry reveal that thousands of law firms only carry out one or two conveyances a year. Those supporting conveyancing panel cuts ask why law firms should have the right to be on a Lender panel when clearly, conveyancing is not their speciality. To put it another way; would you want a conveyancing solicitor to represent you if you were charged with a crime? Unlikely.