My mortgage broker says he needs my St Ives lawyer’ panel reference for the Nat West conveyancing panel. How do I find this out. I have e-mailed my local St Ives office but they don't know it.

The sensible thing to do is ask for this information from your St Ives lawyer . Most St Ives conveyancing firms will keep a file or database of lender panel information which would include, if applicable, their conveyancing panel details for each bank.

Our son-in-law is about to exchange on a new build apartment in St Ives with a mortgage from HSBC. His conveyancer has advised him of a delay in completing the ‘Disclosure of Incentive Form’. This document is news to me - what is it and who needs sight of it?

The form is intended to provide information to the main parties involved in the purchase. Therefore, it will be provided to your son’s lawyer who should be on the HSBC conveyancing panel as a standard part of the process, and to the valuer when asked. The developer will be required to start the process by downloading the form and completing it. The form will therefore need to be available for the valuer at the time of his or her site visit. The form should be sent to the HSBC conveyancing panel solicitor as early as possible, in order to avoid any last minute delays, and no later than at exchange of contracts.

My Conveyancer in St Ives is not on the Skipton Building Society Conveyancing Panel. Can I still use my prefered solicitor even though they are excluded from the Skipton Building Society list of approved lawyers?

Your options are as follows:

1. Complete the purchase with your preferred St Ives lawyers but Skipton Building Society will need to retain a conveyancer on their list of acceptable firms. This will inevitably rack up the overall conveyancing fees as well as result in delays.
2. Get a new solicitor to to deal with the purchase, obviously checking they are on the Skipton Building Society panel

I am looking to sell my home. My past solicitors closed down. I would be grateful for any recommendation of a conveyancing firm. Im based in St Ives if that makes a difference.

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

Do you have any advice for leasehold conveyancing in St Ives from the point of view of speeding up the sale process?

• Much of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in St Ives can be reduced where you appoint lawyers the minute your agents start marketing the property and ask them to put together the leasehold information which will be required by the buyers’ lawyers.
The majority of freeholders or Management Companies in St Ives levy fees for providing management packs for a leasehold property. You or your lawyers should find out the fee that they propose to charge. The management information sought as soon as you have a buyer, thus reducing delays. The typical amount of time it takes to obtain the necessary information is three weeks. It is the most usual reason for delay in leasehold conveyancing in St Ives. In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s permission? Have you, for example laid down wooden flooring? St Ives leases often stipulate that internal structural alterations or laying down wooden flooring calls for a licence issued by the Landlord consenting to such works. Where you dont have the consents to hand you should not communicate with the landlord without checking with your solicitor first. You may think that you are aware of the number of years left on your lease but it would be advisable double-check via your solicitors. A buyer’s lawyer will be unlikely to recommend their client to to exchange contracts if the remaining number of years is under 80 years. In the circumstances it is essential at an early stage that you identify whether the lease term requires a lease extension. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your property on the market for sale.

St Ives Leasehold Conveyancing - A selection of Questions you should consider Prior to Purchasing

Where a St Ives lease has fewer than 80 years it will affect the value of the flat. It is worth checking with your mortgage company that they are willing to go ahead with the loan given the lease term. A short lease means that you will almost definitely have to extend the lease sooner rather than later and it is worth finding out how much this would cost. Remember, in most cases you will be be obliged to have been the owner of the residence for a couple of years in order to be eligible to extend the lease. How much is the annual service fee and ground rent? In the main the cost for major works are not built into the maintenance charges, albeit that some managing agents in St Ives ask leasehold owners to contribute towards a reserve fund and this is used to offset against larger repairs or maintenance.