I have today made my last payment due on my mortgage with Nationwide. I assume I don't need a Holborn conveyancing practitioner on the Nationwide panel to remove the mortgage at the Land Registry. Please confirm.

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

I can not fathom if my lender obliges me to make sure the lease term for the flat is extended prior to the completion date. I have called my Holborn building society branch on numerous occasions and was told it does not affect the mortgage offer and they would lend. My Holborn conveyancing solicitor - who is on the mortgage company conveyancing panel- telephoned and was told they will not lend based on their UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook minimum lease term requirements. Who do I believe?

The property lawyer has to follow the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook Part 2 provisions for your bank. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that the mortgage company will go ahead, your lawyer has no choice but to refrain from exchanging contract and committing you to the purchase. We would suggest that you ask the lender to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the number of years left on the lease.

I recently had an offer agreed on an apartment in Holborn. My financial adviser recommended their conveyancers. I paid an on account payment of £225. A few days later, the lawyer called me embarrassingly acknowledging that they were not on the Coventry BS 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 Coventry BS 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.

What can a local search reveal concerning the property we're buying in Holborn?

Holborn conveyancing often starts with the ordering local authority searches directly from your local Authority or via a personal search organisations for example Searchflow The local search plays a central part in most Holborn conveyancing purchase; as long as you don’t want any nasty once you have moved into your new home. The search will reveal information on, amongst other things, details on planning applications relevant to the premises (whether granted or refused), building control history, any enforcement action, restrictions on permitted development, nearby road schemes, contaminated land and radon gas; in all a total of thirteen subject areas.

I've recently found out that there is a flying freehold issue on a house I put an offer in last month in what was supposed to be a straight forward, chain free conveyancing. Holborn is where the house is located. Is there any advice you can give?

Flying freeholds in Holborn are rare but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even though you don't necessarily need a conveyancing solicitor in Holborn 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 Holborn may ascertain 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.

How simple is it to swap conveyancer as I have to find one who is on the Virgin Money conveyancing list. I hired a local conveyancing solicitor in Holborn round the corner but he is not approved by Virgin Money

We will our best to assist in finding you a conveyancing solicitor in Holborn on the Virgin Money panel. Please note that the solicitors that we list do not pay us fee if you instruct them and are under regulation of the Solicitors Regulation Authority who oversee all conveyancing solicitors in Holborn. Using the find a conveyancing solicitor tool on this website, you can scrutinise fees for conveyancing solicitors in Holborn and beyond.

Is there a distinction between surveying and conveyancing in Holborn?

Conveyancing - in Holborn or anywhere in England and Wales - is the process of legally transferring legal title of property from one person to another. It involves the checking of the title. Whether buying or selling, you should be aware of anything affecting the property such as proposals by government departments, illegal buildings, or outstanding rates. The conveyancer should conduct the appropriate searches and inquiries on the property. Surveying relates to the structure of a property itself. A surveyor will look at a house, flat and any outbuildings you’re purchasing and will help you discover the condition of the building and, if there are problems, give you leverage for reducing the price down or asking the vendor to remedy the defects prior to you move in.