The Welwyn Garden City conveyancing solicitors that I recently instructed on my purchase in Welwyn Garden City have suddenly shut down. They were on acting for me because I had to have a solicitor on the Lloyds conveyancing panel and my preferred Welwyn Garden City lawyer was not. I cut them a cheque for two hundred pounds in advance. What are my options?

If you have an estate agent involved then inform them immediately so that they advise the vendors that there may be a slight delay due to reasons beyond your control. Most sellers would be sympathetic and urge their lawyer to send a new set of papers to your new solicitors. You should appoint new lawyers that are on the Lloyds conveyancing panel and notify the lender. If you have paid over any money, it will hopefully be held by the SRA as money in an intervened firm's bank accounts is transferred to the SRA. Then, the SRA or the intervention agent looks at the intervened firm's accounts to work out who the money belongs to. To claim your money you will need to contact the SRA. If the SRA cannot return money you are owed from the firm's bank accounts, or if they can only return part of the money, you can apply to the Compensation Fund for a grant. Your new lawyers may be able to assist.

Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold element on a house I put an offer in two weeks back in what should have been a straight forward, chain free conveyancing. Welwyn Garden City is the location of the property. Can you shed any light on this issue?

Flying freeholds in Welwyn Garden City are rare but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside Welwyn Garden City you would need to get your solicitor to go through the deeds very carefully. Your mortgage company may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Welwyn Garden City may determine 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 residence.

Is it possible to change solicitor as I need to instruct a firm on the Barclays Direct conveyancing panel. I hired a high street conveyancing solicitor in Welwyn Garden City five minutes from me but he is not approved by Barclays Direct

We will our best to assist in finding you a conveyancing solicitor in Welwyn Garden City on the Barclays Direct panel. Please note that the law firms that we work with do not pay us fee if you instruct them and are authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority who regulate all conveyancing solicitors in Welwyn Garden City. Using the find a conveyancing solicitor tool on this page, you can compare and instruct different solicitors and conveyancers both nationally and in Welwyn Garden City.

Are there frequently found deficiencies that you come across in leases for Welwyn Garden City properties?

Leasehold conveyancing in Welwyn Garden City is not unique. All leases are individual and legal mistakes in the legal wording can sometimes mean that certain clauses are not included. The following missing provisions could result in a defective lease:

Clauses dealing with recovering service charges for expenditure on the building or common parts. Repairing obligations to or maintain parts of the property

A defective lease will likely cause issues when trying to sell a property as they can affect a potential buyer’s ability to obtain a mortgage. Barclays , Leeds Building Society, and Clydesdale all have very detailed conveyancing instructions when it comes to what is expected in a lease. Where a lender has been advised by their lawyers that the lease is defective they may refuse to grant the mortgage, obliging the purchaser to withdraw.

I acquired a 2 bed flat in Welwyn Garden City, conveyancing having been completed in 2006. How much will my lease extension cost? Equivalent flats in Welwyn Garden City with an extended lease are worth £206,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £45 per annum. The lease terminates on 21st October 2092

With 66 years remaining on your lease we estimate the price of your lease extension to range between £12,400 and £14,200 plus legals.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs in the absence of comprehensive investigations. You should not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt other concerns that need to be taken into account and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward placing reliance on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.

We are first time buyers just having agreed a price on a property in Welwyn Garden City, and are now looking to get solicitors appointed. We have used the various rating tools and the results are from all across the country. Is it critical to have a Welwyn Garden City lawyer local to the potential property? I am fine to do all the communicating electronically, but I am thinking at some stage we may be required to physically go into the conveyancer's office to sign documents?

On the whole there is no need to physically visit the office of your solicitor, they can post any relevant papers to you, which you can sign and return. Many buyers and sellers choose to use a locally based solicitor, but it is not a prerequisite for conveyancing in Welwyn Garden City.