Are the Chopwell conveyancing solicitors identified as being on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel, together with their details provided by Clydesdale?

Chopwell conveyancing firms themselves provide us confirmation that they are on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel as opposed to being supplied with a list from Clydesdale directly.

A relative informed me that in buying a property in Chopwell there may be various restrictions as to what one can do in terms of external changes to a property. Is this right?

There are a number of properties in Chopwell which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to perform external alterations. Part of the conveyancing in Chopwell should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.

Is it the case that all Chopwell solicitors on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel are regulated by the SRA?

As solicitors, in order to be on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel they would need to be regulated by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority. The majority of mortgage companies do permit licenced conveyancers on their panel in which case such practice would be regulated by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.

I am expecting a OIP from UBS this week so we know how much we could potentially offer as otherwise we are dependent on web based calculators (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do UBS recommend any Chopwell solicitors on the UBS conveyancing panel, or is it better to find our own lawyer?

You will need to appoint Chopwell solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the UBS conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and UBS through the process.

I am purchasing a new build house in Chopwell with the aid of help to buy. The sellers would not reduce the price so I negotiated £7000 of extras instead. The property agent advised me not reveal to my solicitor about the deal as it would jeopardize my mortgage with the bank. Should I keep quiet?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the builder of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.

Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.

Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.

I am in need of some leasehold conveyancing in Chopwell. Before diving in I want to be sure as to the unexpired term of the lease.

Assuming the lease is registered - and almost all are in Chopwell - then the leasehold title will always include the basic details of the lease, namely the date; the term; and the original parties. From a conveyancing perspective such details then enable any prospective buyer and lender to confirm that any lease they are looking at is the one relevant to that title. For any other purpose, such as confirming how long the term was granted for and calculating what is left, then the register should be sufficient on it's own.

I invested in buying a 1 bedroom flat in Chopwell, conveyancing having been completed in 1998. Can you let me have an estimated range of the fair premium for a lease extension? Corresponding properties in Chopwell with over 90 years remaining are worth £227,000. The ground rent is £50 per annum. The lease ends on 21st October 2098

With 72 years unexpired the likely cost is going to range between £9,500 and £11,000 as well as plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The figure above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs in the absence of comprehensive due diligence. Do not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be other concerns that need to be taken into account and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you move forward placing reliance on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.

My 20yr old son is about to join the property ladder, the home loan was agreed last week in principle. One the seller agreed the offer on the flat we telephoned the building society to move forward with his. We were disappointed to discover that mortgage lenders do not accept all conveyancer, they need to be on their approved list, is this legal?

Lenders tend to imposes restrictions either the type or the number of conveyancing practices on their panel. Typical examples of such restriction(s) being that a firm must have two or more partners. In addition to restricting the type of firm, some have decided to limit the number of firms they use to represent them. You should note that banks have no responsibility for the quality of advice provided by any Chopwell conveyancer on their panel. Mortgage fraud was a key driver in the rationalisation of conveyancing panels a few years ago and whilst there are differing views about the extent of solicitor involvement in some of that fraud. Statistics from the Land Registry reveal that thousands of law firms only carry out one or two conveyances a year. Those supporting conveyancing panel cuts ask why law firms should have the right to be on a Lender panel when clearly, conveyancing is not their speciality. To put it another way; would you want a conveyancing solicitor to represent you if you were charged with a crime? Unlikely.