What does my ID and proof of funds have anything to do with my conveyancing in Keswick? What am I being asked for?

Anti-terror and anti-money-laundering regulations require solicitors and licensed conveyancers to verify the identification documents of the potential client they are dealing with before they can accept their conveyancing instruction. The Terms and Conditions that you need to sign should stipulate this. Your lawyer also has obligations to obtain certain documents in accordance with the CML Lenders Handbook requirements last updated on 1st December 2014. Where you refuse to supply identification documents, your solicitor would not be able to accept instructions from you.

I have paid off my mortgage with HSBC. I assume I don't need a Keswick lawyer on the HSBC panel to discharge the mortgage at the Land Registry. Am I right?

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

I recently had an offer agreed on a house in Keswick. My mortgage broker recommended their conveyancers. I paid an on account payment of £200. A few days later, the solicitor contacted me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the TSB 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 TSB 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.

My offer on a semi in Keswick has been accepted, but there is a chain. The owners have offered on on an apartment, however it’s not been accepted yet, and have viewings of other flats in the pipeline. I have chosen a local conveyancing solicitor in Keswick. What should be my next step? At what point do I apply for the mortgage with Nottingham?

It is normal to have concerns where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to incur expenses too early (mortgage application is in the region of £1k, then valuation, Keswick conveyancing search charges, etc). First, you should check that your solicitor is on the Nottingham conveyancing panel. Regarding the subsequent phase this very much depends on the uniqueness of your transaction, attraction to the property and on the state of the market. In a rising market the majority of purchasers would apply for a home loan with Nottingham and pay for the valuation and only if it comes back ok would they request their solicitor to proceed with searches.

I am buying a new build apartment in Keswick. Conveyancing is necessary evil at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. What sort of enquires would be asked in new build legal work.

Set out below are examples of a selection of leasehold new build enquiries that you may expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Keswick

There must be mutual enforceability of lessee’s covenants. Has the Lease plan been approved by the Land Registry and if not when will they be lodged for this purpose? Please supply a car parking plan. Please supply evidence that the form of Lease proposed has been approved by the Land Registry. Where there is an Undertaking being granted there is the risk of forfeiture of the Headlease subject to relief if one or more of the Underlessees are willing to accept the original Head Lessee’s obligations as otherwise relief will be denied to the Underlessees. The only alternatives are the Head Lessor agreeing not to forfeit the Headlease or the Head Lessee guaranteeing to the Underlessees that it will not be in breach of the Headlease.

I am looking into buying my first house which is in Keswick and I am already nervous. I couldn't find anything specific about Keswick. Conveyancing will be needed in due course but do you know about the Keswick area? or perhaps some other tips you can share?

Rather than looking online forget looking online you should go and have a look at Keswick. In the meantime here are some basic statistics that we found

I have appointed a Keswick conveyancing solicitor for our home move (first time buyers) and have spotted in the Ts and Cs that they are not overseen by the FCA. Should I be concerned or is that standard with conveyancer?

We can't see why they should be. Most conveyancer don't lend money. You should check that they are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, who have specific rules covering monies held in their bank.