I have just been advised by my mortgage adviser that my Sully the law firm I have appointed is not on the mortgage company Conveyancing panel. What can I do to check?

You need to call your Sully conveyancer. You lawyer should advise you of the situation. If they are not on the panel they could put your in touch with solicitors on the approved list of lawyers for your bank.

I am assisting my mother sell her flat in Sully. Does the conveyancer arrange an energy assessment or it is for me to coordinate?

After the abolition of Home Information Packs, EPC’s was kept a compulsory element of moving property. An energy assessment must be commissioned before the property is put on the market. It is not as aspect of the sale process that law firms ordinarily organise. If you are using a Sully conveyancing practitioner they may be willing to arrange EPC’s given their relationships with reputable Sully assessors

Are all Sully Conveyancing Quality Solicitors on the Clydesdale conveyancing list of approved firms?

It is true that some lenders now use CQS as the kick off point for Panel membership such as HSBC and Santander. The Law Society’s CQS membership however gives no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. That being said,the CML have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for solicitor practices wishing to remain on their approved list of conveyancing solicitors.

I have paid off my mortgage with UBS. I assume I don't need a Sully conveyancer on the UBS panel to discharge the mortgage at the Land Registry. Am I right?

If you have finished paying off your UBS 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 UBS mortgage from the register. UBS, 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 UBS has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
3. UBS has instructed the Land Registry to do so

I opted to have a survey completed on a property in Sully ahead of instructing conveyancers. I have been advised that there is a flying freehold aspect to the property. Our surveyor advised that some lenders tend not grant a mortgage on a flying freehold house.

It varies from the lender to lender. Lloyds has different requirements from Nationwide. Should you wish to telephone us we can investigate further with the relevant mortgage company. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are used to dealing with flying freeholds in Sully. Conveyancing will be smoother if you use a solicitor in Sully especially if they are acquainted with such properties in Sully.

I’m about to sell my ground floor apartment in Sully. Conveyancing lawyers have not yet been instructed, but I have recently received a quarterly maintenance charge demand – Do I pay up?

It best that you pay the service charge as you normally would given that all rents and maintenance charges should be apportioned as part of the financial calculations for completion monies, so you will be reimbursed by the buyer for the period running from after the completion date to the subsequent invoice date. Most management companies will not acknowledge the buyer until the service charges have been paid and are up to date, so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. This will smooth the conveyancing process.

I acquired a ground floor flat in Sully, conveyancing having been completed half a dozen years ago. Can you shed any light on how much the price could be for a 90 year extension to my lease? Comparable properties in Sully with an extended lease are worth £181,000. The ground rent is £55 levied per year. The lease comes to an end on 21st October 2074

With 50 years remaining on your lease the likely cost is going to range between £32,300 and £37,400 plus costs.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to provide the actual costs without more detailed due diligence. You should not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be other issues that need to be taken into account and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you move forward placing reliance on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.

To what extent are Sully conveyancing solicitors duty bound by the Law Society to issue clear conveyancing figures?

Inbuilt into the Solicitors Code of Conduct are set rules and regulations as to how the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) allow solicitors to publicise their fees to clients.The Law Society have a practice note giving advice on how to publicise transparent charges to avoid breaching any such rule. Practice notes are not legal advice issued by the Law Society and is not to be regarded as the only standard of good practice a conveyancing solicitor should adhere to. The Practice Note does, nevertheless, constitute the Law Society’s view of acceptable practice for publicising conveyancing charges, and accordingly it’s a recommended read for any solicitor or conveyancer in Sully or further afield.