Me and my fiance are buying a 3 bedroom apartment in Harwich with a mortgage. We have a Harwich solicitor, however the lender says he's not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the lender panel conveyancing practices or retain our Harwich conveyancing practitioner as well as pay for one of their panel lawyers to act for them. This seems very unfair; can we not insist that the bank use our Harwich conveyancing practitioner ?

Unfortunately,no. The mortgage offered to you 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. A further alternative is for your Harwich conveyancing lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.

I am the registered owner of a freehold house in Harwich but still charged rent, why is this and what is this?

It’s unusual for properties in Harwich and has limited impact for conveyancing in Harwich but some freehold properties in England (particularly common in North West England) pay an annual sum known as a Chief Rent or a Rentcharge to a third party who has no other legal interest in the land.

Rentcharge payments are usually between £2.00 and £5.00 per year. Rentcharges date back hundreds of years, but the Rent Charge Act 1977 barred the establishment of new rentcharges from 1977 onwards.

Previous rentcharges can now be extinguished by making a one off payment under the Act. Any rentcharges that are still in existence after 2037 will be dispensed with completely.

Will our lawyer be raising questions about flooding during the conveyancing in Harwich.

The risk of flooding is if increasing concern for lawyers dealing with homes in Harwich. Some people will acquire a house in Harwich, completely expectant that at some time, it may suffer from flooding. However, leaving to one side the physical damage, where a house is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to obtain a mortgage, satisfactory building insurance, or sell the property. There are steps that can be taken during the course of a property purchase to forewarn the purchaser.

Solicitors are not qualified to give advice on flood risk, but there are a various checks that can be initiated by the buyer or by their lawyers which can figure out the risks in Harwich. The standard completed inquiry 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 whether the property has ever been flooded. In the event that the premises has been flooded in past which is not disclosed by the vendor, then a purchaser could issue a compensation claim resulting from an inaccurate answer. A purchaser’s solicitors may also order an enviro report. This should disclose if there is any known flood risk. If so, additional investigations will need to be made.

Are there any apps to help identify a Harwich law firm on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel? I am a keen cyclist and am happy to travel upto 25kilometers to meet the lawyer.

Feel free to make use of the search on this website. Please select a lender and your location and you will see a number of Harwich conveyancing lawyers locally. We have listed some Harwich conveyancing firms towards the end of this page and you can ring them to see whether they are on the Virgin Money approved list

I wish to let out my leasehold flat in Harwich. Conveyancing solicitor who did the purchase is retired - so can't ask him. Do I need to ask my freeholder for their consent?

Even though your last Harwich conveyancing solicitor is no longer around you can check your lease to see if it allows you to sublet the property. The accepted inference is that if the lease is non-specific, subletting is allowed. There may be a precondition that you must seek consent via your landlord or some other party prior to subletting. This means that you cannot sublet without first obtaining permission. The consent is not allowed to be unreasonably refused ore delayed. If the lease does not allow you to sublet you will need to ask your landlord for their consent.

I purchased a 1st floor flat in Harwich, conveyancing having been completed 3 years ago. Can you please calculate a probable premium for a statutory lease extension? Comparable flats in Harwich with a long lease are worth £265,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 yearly. The lease terminates on 21st October 2102

With just 76 years left to run we estimate the premium for your lease extension to be between £8,600 and £9,800 as well as plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure without more detailed due diligence. You should not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be additional issues that need to be considered and clearly you should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action based on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.