I am in the process of selling my flat in Stotfold and the EA has just text me to advise that the purchasers are swapping property lawyer. I am told that this is due to the fact that the lender will only deal with solicitors on their conveyancing panel. On what basis would a big named lender only deal with specific solicitors rather the firm that they want to select for their conveyancing in Stotfold ?

UK lenders have always had an approved set of law firms that can represent them, but in the last few years big names such as Yorkshire Building Society, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have worked with them for decades.

Banks blame a rise in fraud as the reason for the cull – criteria have been narrowed as a smaller panel is easier to keep an eye on. Banks tend not to disclose how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society says it is hearing daily from firms that have been removed from panels. Some do not even realise they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyers' case. The purchasers are unlikely to have any impact on this.

I note that there are debates on Chancel Insurance on online forums. Am I compelled to have this when purchasing a house in Stotfold? or Apparently there is historic law that means some homeowners residing in a parish church boundary may be liable to contribute towards repairs to the chancel within the church. Is this applicable for conveyancing in Stotfold?

Unless a previous acquisition of the house took place after 12 October 2013 you could take it that solicitors handling conveyancing in Stotfold to remain recommending a chancel search and or chancel repair liability insurance.

I used Arc property Solicitors several years ago for my conveyancing in Stotfold. I now require my file but the law firm has closed. What do I do?

Do contact the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to help locate your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Stotfold of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously hired, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.

My husband and I are a fortnight into a residential purchase having been referred to conveyancers by the selling agent to handle our conveyancing in Stotfold. I am not happy. Can you help me find new solicitors?

They would have to be really bad to suggest replacing them. Has your mortgage offer been generated? In the event that it has you will need to make them aware of the new lawyer and have the loan are issued to the new lawyers. The conveyancer needs to be on the lenders approved list to avoid supplemental expenses and delays. So that should be your starting point. Our find a solicitor tool can help you find a bank approved solicitor for your conveyancing in Stotfold

What makes a Stotfold lease defective?

Leasehold conveyancing in Stotfold is not unique. Most leases are drafted differently and legal mistakes in the legal wording can result in certain clauses are wrong. For example, if your lease is missing any of the following, it could be defective:

A provision for the recovery of money spent for the benefit of another party.

A defective lease will likely cause issues when trying to sell a property primarily because it impacts on the ability to obtain a mortgage on the property. Accord Mortgages Ltd, Leeds Building Society, and Barclays Direct all have very detailed requirements when it comes to what is expected in a lease. If a mortgage lender believes that the lease is problematic they may refuse to grant the mortgage, obliging the buyer to pull out.

Stotfold Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - A selection of Queries before buying

Is the freehold reversion owned collectively by the leaseholders? The majority of Stotfold leasehold flats will incur a service charge for the upkeep of the building invoiced on behalf of the landlord. Should you acquire the flat you will have to pay this charge, usually in instalments accross the year. This can be anything from several hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for buildings with lifts and large common areas. There will also be a rentcharge to be met yearly, this is usually not a exorbitant figure, say about £25-£75 but you need to enquire as sometimes it could be many hundreds of pounds.