I am progressing with the sale of my ground floor flat in Yeading and the EA has just e-mailed to warn that the buyers are appointing a new law firm. The reason given is that the lender will only deal with property lawyers on their approved list. On what basis would a major lender only deal with specific solicitors rather the firm that they want to appoint to handle their conveyancing in Yeading ?

Banks have always had panels of law firms they are willing to work with, but in the past few years big names such as HSBC, have considered and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have represented them for decades.

Lenders point to the increase in fraud by way of justification for the pruning – criteria have been narrowed as a smaller panel is easier to keep an eye on. No lender will say how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society claims that it is hearing daily from firms that have been removed from panels. Some are unaware that they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyers' case. Your purchasers are unlikely to have any impact on this.

I am helping my step-mother sell her flat in Yeading. Does the conveyancing solicitor commission an EPC or should I organise this?

After the abolition of HIPs, energy assessments became a required element of selling a house. An energy performance certificate must be to hand prior to the property being marketed. It is not as aspect of the sale process that solicitors normally arrange. Where you are instructing a Yeading conveyancing practitioner they may be willing to arrange energy assessments given their contacts with long established Yeading accredited person

Is there a list of Clydesdale panel conveyancers in Yeading on the Council of Mortgage Lender’s Website?

Unfortunately not yet. There is no such tool on the CML or Building Society Association sites. Very few lenders make their panel listings open the public online. If you are in need of a Yeading lawyer on the Clydesdale please use our tool.

I have a mortgage with Bank of Ireland for my property in Yeading. Conveyancing was finalised some time ago. Should I wish to rent out my property and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a buy-to-let mortgage or inform Bank of Ireland?

Bank of Ireland must be informed of your intention prior to letting out your property as this is likely to be a breach of Bank of Ireland’s mortgage conditions. It may be that Bank of Ireland will allow you to rent out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact Bank of Ireland directly. It should not be necessary to do this via a Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel solicitor.

Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly identified during conveyancing in Yeading?

Covenants that are restrictive in nature can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the process of conveyancing in Yeading. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’

I have been on the look out for a leasehold apartment up to £195,000 and found one close by in Yeading I like with a park and railway links in the vicinity, however it only has 61 remaining years left on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Yeading in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake acquiring a lease with such few years left?

If you require a mortgage the remaining unexpired lease term will likely be a potential deal breaker. Discount the price by the anticipated lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing proprietor has owned the property for a minimum of 2 years you can request that they commence the lease extension formalities and pass it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the current lease and have £0 ground rent by law. You should speak to your conveyancing solicitor regarding this matter.

How and when do I incur stamp duty chargeable for my house transaction in Yeading?

The majority of conveyancers tend to fill out a stamp duty return for you as part of your Yeading purchase transaction for you to sign. After completion your solicitor will submit the STL Return Form to the Inland Revenue and - assuming they have the funds - pay any tax bill due for you.