I sincerely hope you can assist me. My Winkleigh lawyer is advising me that she is duty bound toapply for Winkleigh conveyancing searches becausethe firm are on the Santandersolicitor panel. Do I not have a choice here?

You have limited options available to you. As you are obtaining a home loan with a bank your conveyancing practitioner has to comply with their conditions as set out in their version of the CML Conveyancing Handbook. Your lawyer would have previously signed the Terms and Conditions of your lender’s conveyancing panel appointment which obliges them to follow the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook provisions . Even if you were a cash buyer you would be ill advised not to carry out Winkleigh conveyancing searches.

I just acquired a property at auction in Winkleigh. Conveyancing is necessary. What is next?

Having legally bound yourself to purchase you now have to instruct a conveyancing solicitor quickly as you are faced with a fast approaching deadline in which to complete the transaction. All auction property should have a bespoke auction pack. This will likely include evidence of title and search results. If you have purchased leasehold property the legal pack should include a copy of the lease, management information and a sellers leasehold information form and associated conveyancing documentation relating to a leasehold property. You must pass this on to your appointed conveyancing solicitor at the earliest opportunity. Do make sure that your finances are in order to complete the transaction on the set completion date.

We previously appointed conveyancing lawyers locally in Winkleigh on the Bank of Ireland solicitor panel. They have just billed me an additional charge for dealing with the Bank of Ireland mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee specified by Bank of Ireland?

Unfortunately, so long as it is in their Terms and Conditions or Quote then yes your property lawyer is entitled to levy a fee for this. This fee is not dictated by Bank of Ireland but by your Winkleigh conveyancer. Some firms on the Bank of Ireland panel will quote ’dealing with mortgage’ fee and others do not.

I have a mortgage with Nationwide for my property in Winkleigh. Conveyancing was finalised 12 months ago. Should I wish to rent out the flat and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a BTL mortgage or inform Nationwide?

You must advise Nationwide before renting your property as this is likely to be a breach of Nationwide’s mortgage conditions. In many cases banks or building societies will allow you to rent out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact Nationwide directly. It should not be necessary to do this via a Nationwide conveyancing panel solicitor.

I've recently found out that there is a flying freehold issue on a house I have offered on last month in what should have been a simple, no chain conveyancing. Winkleigh is where the house is located. Can you offer any opinion?

Flying freeholds in Winkleigh are unusual but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside Winkleigh you would need to get your solicitor to go through the deeds diligently. Your mortgage company may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Winkleigh 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 property.

I need to appoint a conveyancing solicitor for freehold conveyancing in Winkleigh. I have chance upon a site which looks to be the perfect solution If there is a chance to get all this stuff completed via web that would be ideal. Do I need to be concerned? What are the potential pitfalls?

As usual with these online conveyancers you need to read ALL the small print - did you notice the extra charge for dealing with the mortgage?

Last October I purchased a leasehold property in Winkleigh. Am I liable to pay service charges for periods before my ownership?

Where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous lessee and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. Strange as it may seem, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. A critical element of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to ensure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.

If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).

I own a garden flat in Winkleigh, conveyancing having been completed 5 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 Winkleigh with an extended lease are worth £206,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £45 levied per year. The lease runs out on 21st October 2093

With 67 years left to run we estimate the price of your lease extension to range between £10,500 and £12,000 as well as plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to provide a more accurate figure in the absence of detailed due diligence. You should not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt additional concerns that need to be considered and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not move forward based on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.