My husband and I are buying a 2 bedroom flat in Thornhill with a mortgage. We like our Thornhill solicitor, however the mortgage company says he's not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the mortgage company panel conveyancing practices or continue with our Thornhill lawyer as well as pay for one of their panel lawyers to act for them. This seems very unfair; are we not able to insist that the mortgage company use our Thornhill conveyancer ?

Unfortunately,no. Your mortgage offer is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the lender’s conveyancing panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. Another option that might be available is for your Thornhill conveyancing solicitor to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.

three months have elapsed since my purchase conveyancing in Thornhill completed. I have checked the Land Registry website which shows that I paid £150,000 when infact I paid £215,000. Why the discrepancy?

The price paid figure is taken from the application to register the purchase. It is the figure included in the Transfer (the legal deed which transfers the residence from one person to the other) and referred to as the 'consideration' or purchase price. You can report an error in the price paid figure using the LR online form. In most cases errors result from typos so at first glance the figure. Do report it so they can double check and advise.

I have been on the look out for a ground for flat up to £245,000 and identified one near me in Thornhill I like with a park and station in the vicinity, the downside is that it's only got 49 years unexpired on the lease. There is not much else in Thornhill suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake purchasing a short lease?

If you require a mortgage the shortness of the lease may be problematic. Discount the offer by the expected lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the current owner has owned the property for a minimum of 2 years you could ask them to start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease term and have £0 ground rent by law. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer regarding this.

Am I better off to instruct a Thornhill conveyancing lawyer in close proximity to the house I am purchasing? An old friend can carry out the legal formalities however they are based over three hundred kilometers away.

The primary upside of using a local Thornhill conveyancing firm is that you can visit the firm to execute paperwork, hand in your identification documents and apply pressure on them if necessary. They will also have local intelligence which is a plus. However nothing is more important than finding someone that will pull out all the stops for you. If you know people who used your friend and the majority were content that must surpass using an unknown Thornhill conveyancing lawyer just because they are based in the area.

We expect to complete the disposal of our £150,000 flat in Thornhill next week. The managing agents has quoted £360 for Certificate of Compliance, building insurance schedule and previous years service charge statements. Is the landlord entitled to charge an administration fee for a leasehold conveyance in Thornhill?

Thornhill conveyancing on leasehold apartments more often than not requires the buyer’s lawyer sending questions for the landlord to answer. Although the landlord is under no legal obligation to answer these enquiries the majority will be willing to assist. They may charge a reasonable charge for answering questions or supplying documentation. There is no set fee. The average fee for the paperwork that you are referring to is £350, in some cases it is above £800. The management information fee required by the landlord must be sent together with a summary of entitlements and obligations in relation to administration fees, otherwise the invoice is not strictly payable. In reality you have little choice but to pay whatever is requested of you if you want to sell the property.

Thornhill Leasehold Conveyancing - A selection of Queries Prior to Purchasing

Generally speaking the cost for major works tend not to be included within service charges, albeit that some managing agents in Thornhill obliged tenants to pay into a sinking fund and this is used to offset against larger works. The prefered form of lease arrangement is a share of the freehold. In this scenario the leaseholders have being in charge if their destiny and even though a managing agent is often employed if it is bigger than a house conversion, the managing agent is directed by the tenants. This information is helpful as a) areas can result in problems for the block as the communal areas may start to deteriorate if maintenance are not paid for b) if the leaseholders have an issue with the running of the building you will wish to have full disclosure