My partner and I are planning to buy a house in Thatcham and are in fact using a Thatcham 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. have this morning contacted us to advise us that they have now hit a problem as our Thatcham conveyancer is not on their conveyancing panel. What do we do from here?

When purchasing a property with mortgage finance it is normal for the purchasers' solicitors to also represent 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 Quality Scheme. Your property lawyer should contact your mortgage company 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 are not legally obliged to appoint a law firm on the lender’s conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own Thatcham solicitors, in which case your legal fees may increase, and it may delay matters as you have another set of people involved.

A colleague informed me that in buying a property in Thatcham there could be various restrictions prohibiting external changes to a property. Is this right?

We are aware of anumerous of properties in Thatcham which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to carry out external changes. Part of the conveyancing in Thatcham should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.

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

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

The formalities of my remortgage has taken place for my property in Thatcham. Conveyancing was a necessary evil but I feel I should register my dissatisfaction about the lender. Who do I contact should I wish to lodge a complaint?

All banks and building societies have complaints procedures. Your first point of contact should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Care Team at head office. Ordinarily complaints to a lender are sorted out effectively and efficiently. If you feel the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service, South Quay Plaza, 183 Marsh Wall, London E14 9SR who will take matters further.

How does conveyancing in Thatcham differ for new build properties?

Most buyers of new build or newly converted property in Thatcham come to us having been asked by the developer to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the premises is built. This is because developers in Thatcham usually acquire the site, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct conveyancing solicitors as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are used to new build conveyancing in Thatcham or who has acted in the same development.

Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold element on a property I put an offer in last month in what should have been a quick, chain free conveyancing. Thatcham is where the house is located. Can you offer any assistance?

Flying freeholds in Thatcham are not the norm but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside Thatcham you would need to get your solicitor to go through the deeds very carefully. Your bank may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Thatcham may determine that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold premises.

We are four weeks into a leasehold purchase having been referred to a firm by the local agent to execute conveyancing in Thatcham. We are not happy. Can you you assist me in finding new conveyancers?

They would need to be very bad in order to consider changing them. Has the loan offer been issued? In the event that it has you must advise them of the new contact details and ensure the mortgage documents are re-sent. The conveyancer needs to be on the banks panel to avoid supplemental costs and complications. That should be your starting point. The search tool should assist you in finding a bank approved solicitor for your home move in Thatcham