I am thinking of mortgaging my house in Watchet, does my lawyer need to be on the Clydesdale Conveyancing panel?

In theory, you could use a solicitor that is not on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel, but Clydesdale would require one of their panel solicitors to be instructed to act in their interests, and you'd have to pay for this - so most people instruct a panel solicitor. It's also easier, as otherwise you'd have to deal with two solicitors for the same conveyancing matter.

I used Wolstenholmes several years ago for my conveyancing in Watchet. Now, I need my files however the law firm is no longer operating. What do I do?

You should call the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to assist in tracing your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Watchet of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously retained, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.

Taking into account that I am about to part with 450k on 3 bedroom house in Watchet I would like to talk to a solicitor regarding thehome move before appointing the firm. Is this something that you can arrange?

Absolutely - we would be pleased to talk to you we do not take any clients on without you first talking to the conveyancer due to be conducting your conveyancing in Watchet.There is no ‘factory style conveyancing’ - each client is an important person, not a matter reference. The law firms that we put you in touch with believe that the figure you are quoted for your conveyancing in Watchet should be the amount on the final invoice that you end up paying.

I've recently bought a leasehold house in Watchet. Am I liable to pay service charges relating to a period prior to my ownership?

Where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous lessee and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. Strange as it may seem, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. It is an essential part of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to ensure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.

If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).

Leasehold Conveyancing in Watchet - Examples of Questions you should consider before Purchasing

The prefered form of lease structure is a share of the freehold. In this scenario the lessees enjoy being in charge if their destiny and even though a managing agent is often employed where the building is larger than a house conversion, the managing agent is directed by the tenants. Where a Watchet lease has no more than eighty years it will have adverse implications on the marketability of the property. Check with your lender that they are willing to go ahead with the loan given the lease term. Leases with fewer than 80 years remaining means that you will almost definitely require a lease extension sooner rather than later and it is worth discovering how much this will be. Remember, in most cases you would need to own the property for 24 months in order to be eligible to carry out a lease extension. The majority of Watchet leasehold flats will incur a service bill for the upkeep of the building levied on behalf of the freeholder. If you acquire the property you will have to meet this liability, usually quarterly accross the year. This may vary from several hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for large purpose-built buildings. There will also be a ground rent for you to pay yearly, this is usually not a large amount, say approximately £50-£100 but you need to check as sometimes it could be many hundreds of pounds.

Much to my surprise my lawyer in Watchet has requested from me personal identification documents stating that this forms part of his obligations as a conveyancer on the lender Conveyancing panel. Can this be correct?

Anti-terror and anti-money-laundering rules require Watchet conveyancing solicitors and licensed conveyancers to verify the identity of the person or body they are dealing with before they can accept their conveyancing business. The Client Care letter that you need to sign will no doubt confirm this. Your lawyer is right that the mortgage company also require certain documents to be viewed. If a you refuse to provide ID verification documents, your conveyancer would not be able to accept instructions from you. Your lawyer also has obligations to obtain certain documents in accordance with the mortgage company's UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook requirements