My wife and I have recently appointed a conveyancing solicitor in Westgate on Sea. I I would like to check if they are on the Accord Mortgages Ltd approved list of lawyers. Can you help?

You should e-mail your conveyancer and ask them if they are on the lender panel. Otherwise you can get in touch with Accord Mortgages Ltd who may be able to assist.

We had chosen conveyancing lawyers located in Westgate on Sea on the Aldermore solicitor panel. They have just invoiced me a separate charge for the legal aspects of the Aldermore mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee set by Aldermore?

As unfair as it may seem, as long as it’s in their Terms of Engagement or estimate then yes your conveyancer can charge a fee for this. This charge is not dictated by Aldermore but by your Westgate on Sea conveyancing practitioner. Numerous firms on the Aldermore panel will quote ’dealing with mortgage’ fee and others do not.

I have paid off my mortgage with Santander. I assume I don't need a Westgate on Sea lawyer on the Santander panel to discharge the mortgage at the Land Registry. Am I right?

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

My offer was accepted on a property in Westgate on Sea on 21/2/2024, valuation was booked 4 days later, received a clean bill of health. Solicitor appointed, so the only thing outstanding was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to Skipton and chasing them on my offer, I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the Skipton conveyancing panel. Are Skipton entitled to hold back the Mortgage pending the lawyer being on the approved list?

A lender would not issue a mortgage until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Skipton to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the Skipton conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.

I am looking for a leasehold apartment up to £305k and found one near me in Westgate on Sea I like with amenity areas and station nearby, the downside is that it only has 61 years on the lease. There is not much else in Westgate on Sea for this price, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error acquiring a short lease?

Should you need a mortgage the shortness of the lease will likely be problematic. Reduce the price by the expected lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the current proprietor has owned the property for at least twenty four months you may ask them to commence the lease extension formalities and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the existing lease term and have £0 ground rent by law. You should speak to your conveyancing solicitor concerning this matter.

My husband and I are a couple of weeks into a residential purchase having been recommend to solicitors by the estate agent to handle our conveyancing in Westgate on Sea. We are not happy. Could you help me find new lawyers?

They would have to be very poor to suggest replacing them. Has the mortgage offer been generated? If so you need to advise them of the new contact details and ensure the offer are re-issued. Your solicitor ideally needs to be on the mortgage company approved list to avoid added fees and delays. That should be your first question of the new conveyancers. The search tool should assist you in finding a lender approved conveyancer for your conveyancing in Westgate on Sea

I've found a house that seems to meet my requirements, at a great price which is making it all the more appealing. I have subsequently discovered that the title is leasehold as opposed to freehold. I am assuming that there are issues purchasing a leasehold house in Westgate on Sea. Conveyancing lawyers have not yet been instructed. Will they explain the issues?

Most houses in Westgate on Sea are freehold and not leasehold. In this scenario it’s worth having a local solicitor who is familiar with the area who can help the conveyancing process. it is apparent that you are buying in Westgate on Sea in which case you should be looking for a Westgate on Sea conveyancing practitioner and check that they are used to advising on leasehold houses. As a matter of priority you will need to check the unexpired lease term. Being a leaseholder you will not be entirely free to do whatever you want with the house. The lease will likely included provisions such as obtaining the landlord’spermission to carry out changes to the property. You may also be required to pay a service charge towards the maintenance of the estate where the property is located on an estate. Your solicitor will advise you fully on all the issues.

Westgate on Sea Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Examples of Queries before Purchasing

You should be aware that where the lease has fewer than eighty years it will have adverse implications on the salability of the flat. Check with your lender that they are happy with remaining years on the lease. A short lease means that you will almost definitely have to extend the lease sooner rather than later and you need to have some idea of what this will be. For most Westgate on Sealease extensions you would need to own the property for a couple of years before you are entitled to extend the lease. Who manages the block? It would be a good idea to discover if there are any onerous restrictions in the lease. For example plenty of leases prohibit pets being permitted in in a block in Westgate on Sea. If you love the flatin Westgate on Sea but your cat can’t make the move with you then you will be presented with a difficult choice.