My partner and I are looking to buy a property in Shepton Mallet and are in fact using a Shepton Mallet conveyancing practice. Within the past 48 hours our solicitor has sent a preliminary report and documents to look through with the expectation that exchange is imminent. Accord Mortgages Ltd have this afternoon contacted us to inform me that they have now hit a problem as our Shepton Mallet solicitor is not on their conveyancing panel. Please explain?

Where you are buying a property needing a mortgage it is standard for the purchasers' lawyers to also act for 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 Accreditation Scheme. Your property lawyer should contact your lender 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 lender’s conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own Shepton Mallet solicitors, in which case it will likely add costs, and it may delay matters as you are adding another lawyer into the mix.

Last January we completed a house move in Shepton Mallet. We have since encountered a number of problems with the house which we believe were omitted in the conveyancing searches. Do we have any recourse? What searches should? have been carried out for conveyancing in Shepton Mallet?

The query is vague as to the nature of the problems and if they are unique to conveyancing in Shepton Mallet. Conveyancing searches and due diligence initiated as part of the legal transfer of property are carried out to help avoid problems. As part of the legal transfer of property, the vendor completes a document called a Seller’s Property Information Form. If the information ends up being incorrect, you could possibly take legal action against the owner for any losses that you have suffered. The survey should have identified any problems with the structure of the property. Assuming a detailed survey was carried out and the issues were not identified, you may have a claim against the surveyor. However, if you did not have a full survey, you may be responsible for fixing any defects that have now been noted. We would always encourage buyers to take every possible step to ensure they are completely aware of the condition of a property before purchase regardless of whether they are buying in Shepton Mallet.

Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly picked up as part of conveyancing in Shepton Mallet?

Covenants that are restrictive in nature can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the legal transfer of property in Shepton Mallet. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’

I am downsizing from my home. My former solicitors have shut. I would be grateful for any recommendation of a conveyancing firm. I happen to live in Shepton Mallet if that affects matters.

You should use our search tool to help you choose a solicitor for your conveyancing in Shepton Mallet. We have connected thousands of home buyers and sellers with regulated solicitors to ensure that the legalities of their house move runs with a minimum of fuss.

My wife and I purchased a leasehold house in Shepton Mallet. Conveyancing and Nottingham Building Society mortgage went though with no issue. A letter has just been received from someone claiming to own the freehold. It included a demand for arrears of ground rent dating back to 1995. The conveyancing practitioner in Shepton Mallet who previously acted has now retired. What should I do?

The first thing you should do is contact HMLR to be sure that this person is in fact the registered owner of the freehold reversion. You do not need to incur the fees of a Shepton Mallet conveyancing lawyer to do this as it can be done on-line for less than a fiver. Rest assured that regardless, even if this is the rightful freeholder, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Shepton Mallet - Examples of Queries before buying

The prefered form of lease structure is if the freehold title is owned by the leaseholders. In this situation the leaseholders have being in charge if their destiny and although a managing agent is often retained where it is bigger than a house conversion, the managing agent is directed by the tenants. You should be aware if it is less than eighty years it will affect the salability of the property. It is worth checking with your mortgage company that they are willing to lend given the lease term. A short lease means that you will almost definitely have to extend the lease at some point and it is worth discovering what this will be. For most Shepton Malletlease extensions you will be be obliged to have been the owner of the residence for 24 months before you are eligible to extend the lease.