Is the fact that my solicitor in Salisbury is not listed on my mortgage company's conveyancing panel that there is a problem with the quality of the firm’s conveyancing?

That would more than likely be a wrong assumption to make. There are all sorts of perfectly plausible explanations. A recent report by the solicitors regulator indicated that over three quarters of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The most common reasons for removal are: (1) low volume of transactions (2) the lawyer is a sole practitioner (3) as part of the HSBC panel reduction (4) regulatory contact by SRA (5) accidental removal. If you are concerned you should contact the Salisbury conveyancing practice and ask them why they are no longer on the approved list for your bank.

My uncle passed away last year and as sole heir and executor I was left the property in Salisbury. The house had a small mortgage remaining of approximately £8000. I want to have the title changed into my name whilst I re-mortgage to Nottingham, pay off the mortgage. Is this possible?

Given you plan to re-mortgage then Nottingham will require that you use a conveyancer on the Nottingham conveyancing panel. Here is link to the Land Registry online guidance around what to do when a property owner dies. This will help you to understand the registration process behind changing the details re the registered title. in your case it would appear that you are effectively purchasing the property from the estate. Your Nottingham conveyancing panel solicitor pays the new mortgage money into the estate, the estate pays off the old mortgage, the charge is released and you become the owner and the Nottingham mortgage is registered as a charge at the Land Registry.

I've recently found out that there is a flying freehold issue on a house I have offered on a fortnight ago in what was supposed to be a straight forward, chain free conveyancing. Salisbury is the location of the property. Can you offer any guidance?

Flying freeholds in Salisbury are rare but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside Salisbury you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds very carefully. Your bank may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Salisbury may determine that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold premises.

I have recently realised that I have Sixty One years left on my lease in Salisbury. I now want to extend my lease but my freeholder is can not be found. What should I do?

On the basis that you meet the appropriate requirements, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can submit an application to the County Court for an order to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will enable the lease to be granted an extra 90 years by the magistrate. You will be obliged to prove that you or your lawyers have done all that could be expected to track down the landlord. In some cases a specialist should be helpful to conduct investigations and prepare a report to be used as evidence that the freeholder can not be located. It is advisable to get professional help from a property lawyer in relation to devolving into the landlord’s disappearance and the vesting order request to the County Court overseeing Salisbury.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Salisbury - Sample of Queries before Purchasing

Best to be warned whether a new roof is being put on or some other major work is anticipated to be shared amongst the leasehold owners and will materially impact the level of the maintenance costs or require a one off invoice. It would be wise to find out if there is anything that is prohibited in the lease. For example plenty of leases prohibit pets being permitted in in a block in Salisbury. If you love the propertyin Salisbury however your dog can’t move with you then you will be presented with a difficult determination. Generally speaking the cost for major works tend not to be included within service charges, although there some managing agents in Salisbury obliged leaseholders to pay into a reserve fund and this is used to offset against major repairs or maintenance.

I have been searching for Salisbury conveyancing quotes online. Can I be sure that all the Salisbury practices that are listed on your website are on the mortgage company conveyancing panel?

The law firms listed on our site have assured us via an online form that they are on the bank panel and agreed to advise us to take down their listing in the event of removal off of the mortgage company panel. To date we have not been informed by either a bank or a member of the public that the data about a specific Salisbury firm being on the mortgage company conveyancing panel is not accurate.