My husband and I are looking to acquire a home in Repton and are in fact using a Repton conveyancing firm. Within the past 48 hours our solicitor has forwarded the sale agreement to be signed with a detailed report with the expectation that exchange is imminent. The Royal Bank of Scotland have this afternoon contacted us to inform me that they have now hit a problem as our Repton lawyer is not on their conveyancing panel. Is this a problem?

When purchasing a property with the benefit of a mortgage it is usual for the purchasers' lawyers to also represent the mortgage company. In order to act for a bank or building society a law firm has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the law firm to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the firm has to satisfy and indeed some lenders now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme. Your property lawyer should contact your mortgage company and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own solicitors to act. You don't have to instruct a firm on the bank's conveyancing panel as you are at liberty to use your preferred Repton lawyers, in which case it will likely add costs, and it will likely delay the transaction as you are adding another lawyer into the mix.

We are planning on selling our home in Repton and according to the buyers it appears that there is a possibility that the property was constructed on contaminated land. Any high street Repton lawyer would know this is not the case. For the life of me I don't know why the buyers instructed an online conveyancing practice as opposed to a conveyancing solicitor in Repton. We have lived in Repton for three years we know of no issue. Do we get in touch with our local Authority to seek confirmation need.

It sounds as though you may have a conveyancing solicitor already. Are they able to advise? You should enquire of your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out health insurance to cover that same sickness)

Me and my brother purchased a terraced Edwardian property in Repton. Conveyancing practitioner represented me and Bank of Scotland. I happened to do a free search for it on the Land Registry database and there are two entries: one for freehold, another for leasehold with the exact same address. I thought I was buying a freehold how can I check?

You need to assess the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register as there may be 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 Repton and other areas of 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 purchasers. You can also check the position with your conveyancing practitioner who conducted the work.

I need to retain a conveyancing solicitor for leasehold conveyancing in Repton. I've discover a site which appears to be the ideal offering If it is possible to get all this stuff done via phone that would be ideal. Do I need to be wary? What should out be looking out for?

As usual with these online conveyancers you need to read ALL the small print - did you notice the extra charge for dealing with the mortgage?

I am hoping to put an offer on a small detached house that appears to meet my requirements, at a great price which is making it all the more appealing. I have subsequently discovered that the title is leasehold as opposed to freehold. I would have thought that there are issues purchasing a leasehold house in Repton. Conveyancing solicitors have are about to be instructed. Will my lawyers set out the risks of buying a leasehold house in Repton ?

The majority of houses in Repton are freehold rather than leasehold. This is one of the situations where having a local solicitor who is familiar with the area who can help the conveyancing process. it is apparent that you are buying in Repton in which case you should be looking for a Repton conveyancing practitioner and be sure that they are used to dealing with leasehold houses. First you will need to check the number of years remaining. Being a tenant you will not be entirely free to do whatever you want with the house. The lease comes with conditions for example obtaining the freeholder’sconsent to conduct changes to the property. It may be necessary to pay a service charge towards the maintenance of the estate where the property is located on an estate. Your lawyer will advise you fully on all the issues.

Repton Leasehold Conveyancing - Examples of Questions you should consider before Purchasing

Are any of leasehold owners in arrears of their service charge liability? How much is the ground rent and service charge? What is the name of the managing agents?