I have given 2 months notice to my existing landlord and must be out of my let out flat in Downham Market by the end of next month. Conveyancing on my purchase is underway. How realistic is it to complete in a couple of weeks as I wish to avoid having to move into temporary accommodation?

Generally one should not provide notice on a rental until exchange of contracts has taken place. If you have not already done so, update to your solicitor and request that they chase the other solicitors, try to get a realistic time scale from them that everyone will look to achieve

I recently had an offer accepted on an apartment in Downham Market. My financial adviser pressured me to appoint their solicitor. I paid an on account payment of £225. A couple of days later, the lawyer called me to say that they were not on the UBS conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?

You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the UBS panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.

I am due to exchange contracts on my flat. I had a double glazing fitted in November 2007, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My purchaser’s lender, Kent Reliance are being difficult. The Downham Market solicitor who is on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel is saying indemnity insurance will be fine but Kent Reliance are insisting on a building regulation certificate. Why do Kent Reliance have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?

It is probably the case that Kent Reliance have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Kent Reliance may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing was correctly and safely installed. The indemnity insurance merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.

I was told two weeks ago that my mortgage has been agreed to by HSBC. Is it usual for HSBC to only issue the offer once my solicitor in Downham Market is approved on their conveyancing panel? HSBC have asked my solicitor to see a copy of their Professional Indemnity Insurance Schedule.

Mortgage companies tend not to not issue an offer until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for HSBC to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the HSBC conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.

Should my lawyer be raising questions about flooding during the conveyancing in Downham Market.

Flooding is a growing risk for lawyers carrying out conveyancing in Downham Market. Some people will buy a house in Downham Market, completely aware that at some time, it may be flooded. However, leaving to one side the physical destruction, where a property is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to obtain a mortgage, adequate building insurance, or dispose of the property. There are steps that can be taken as part of the conveyancing process to forewarn the purchaser.

Conveyancers are not best placed to impart advice on flood risk, but there are a numerous checks that may be initiated by the buyer or by their conveyancers which should give them a better understanding of the risks in Downham Market. The conventional set of property information forms sent to a buyer’s conveyancer (where the solicitors are adopting what is known as the Conveyancing Protocol) includes a standard question of the vendor to find out if the premises has historically flooded. If flooding has previously occurred and is not disclosed by the seller, then a buyer could bring a legal claim for losses stemming from an inaccurate reply. The buyer’s solicitors should also order an enviro search. This should disclose whether there is any known flood risk. If so, additional investigations will need to be carried out.

I opted to have a survey completed on a house in Downham Market in advance of retaining solicitors. I have been informed that there is a flying freehold element to the property. The surveyor advised that some banks will refuse to issue a loan on such a property.

It varies from the lender to lender. Santander has different instructions from Nationwide. If you e-mail us we can check with the relevant mortgage company. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can assist as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Downham Market. Conveyancing can be more complicated and therefore you should check with your conveyancing solicitor in Downham Market to see if the conveyancing will be more expensive.

I have just placed an offer on a leasehold flat in Downham Market and the broker that we are using suggested his property lawyer. They quoted £1000 including VAT and 3rd party costs. Does this sound expensive?

Don't just go on 1 quote. One should seek like-for-like quotes for your conveyancing in Downham Market. Then pick one that you are comfortable with and crucially, is on the approved list of the bank that you are sourcing your mortgage from.