My fiance and I intend to remortgage our maisonette in Sandgate with . We have a son approaching twenty who lives at home. Our solicitor has asked us to disclose any adults other than ourselves who reside at the property. The solicitor has now sent a form for our son to sign, waiving any legal rights in the event that the apartment is repossessed. I have two questions (1) Is this document specific to the conveyancing panel as he did not need to sign this form when we remortgaged 5 years ago (2) Does our son by signing this compromise his rights to inherit the property?

On the face of it your lawyer has done nothing wrong as it is established procedure for any occupier who is aged 17 or over to sign the necessary Consent Form, which is purely to state that any rights he has in the property are postponed and secondary to . This is solely used to protect if the property were re-possessed so that in such circumstances, your son would be legally obliged to leave. It does not impact your son’s right to inherit the apartment. Please note that if your son were to inherit and the mortgage in favour of had not been discharged, he would be liable to take over the loan or pay it off, but other than that, there is nothing stopping him from keeping the property in accordance with your will or the rules of intestacy.

I have been recommended a conveyancing solicitor in Sandgate. I I would like to check whether they are accepted on the conveyancing panel. Could you help?

The first thing you should do is e-mail the solicitor and ask them if they can act for the lender. Otherwise please get in touch with who may be able to help.

Is it the case that all Sandgate CQS (Conveyancing Quality Scheme) solicitors are on the conveyancing list of approved firms?

Some major lenders now utilise CQS as the starting point for Panel membership such as HSBC and Santander. The Law Society’s CQS accreditation however gives no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. That being said,the Council of Mortgage Lenders have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for firms wishing to join their approved list of firms.

We expect to receive a DIP from this week so we know how much we could potentially offer as otherwise we only have online calculators to go by (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do recommend any Sandgate solicitors on the conveyancing panel, or is it better to go independently?

You will need to appoint Sandgate solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and through the process.

I have today made my last payment due on my mortgage with . I assume I don't need a Sandgate on the panel to discharge the mortgage at the Land Registry. Please confirm.

If you have finished paying off your mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the mortgage from the register. , and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:

1. but are not moving to another property
2. where has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
3. has instructed the Land Registry to do so

Due to the guidance of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a house in Sandgate before retaining conveyancers. I have been advised that there is a flying freehold aspect to the house. My surveyor has said that some lenders tend not grant a loan on such a home.

It varies from the lender to lender. Santander has different requirements from Nationwide. Should you wish to telephone us we can look into this further with the relevant lender. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Sandgate. Conveyancing will be smoother if you use a solicitor in Sandgate especially if they regularly deal with such properties in Sandgate.

My wife and I purchased a leasehold house in Sandgate. Conveyancing and mortgage organised. I have received a letter from someone claiming to own the freehold. Attached was a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1997. The conveyancing solicitor in Sandgate who acted for me is not around. Any advice?

First make enquiries of HMLR to make sure that this person is indeed the registered owner of the freehold reversion. It is not necessary to instruct a Sandgate conveyancing practitioner to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for a few pound. Rest assured that regardless, even if this is the legitimate landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 the limitation period for recovery of ground rent is six years.

Sandgate Leasehold Conveyancing - Sample of Questions you should ask before buying

What restrictions are there in the Sandgate Lease? Is anyone aware of any major works in the near future that could increase the service costs? Who are the managing agents?