My wife and I are buying a 1 bedroom apartment in Claydon with a mortgage. We wish to retain our Claydon lawyer, however the mortgage company says he's not on their "panel". It appears that we have no choice but to use one of the bank panel solicitors or keep our Claydon and pay for one of their panel lawyers to act for them. We consider that this is unjust; is there anything we can do?

No, not really. Your mortgage offer is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the bank’s conveyancing panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. A further alternative is for your Claydon conveyancing solicitor to apply to be on the conveyancing panel.

My lawyer has discovered a a legal deficiency with the lease for the flat we are buying in Claydon. The seller’s lawyers have suggested title insurance as a solution. We are happy with insurance and will cover the costs. Our has advised that he must ensure that the mortgage company is happy with this solution. Who is the client here, us or the lender?

The short answer to your last question is that, notwithstanding the risk of a conflict of interest, you and the lender are the client. Your must comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook conditions. The UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook conditions require your lawyer to disclose issues such as defects with the lease so that the bank can be afforded the opportunity to check with their valuer as to the extent that the value of the property is affected. Should you refuse to allow your lawyer to make the appropriate notification then your will have no choice but to discontinue acting for you.

The Claydon conveyancing firm that I appointed last week on my purchase in Claydon have suddenly closed. I chose them because I had to have a lawyer on the conveyancing panel and my previous Claydon lawyer was not. I wrote them a cheque for £250 in advance. What are my options?

If you have an estate agent involved then let them know straight away so that they advise the vendors that there may be a slight delay due to reasons beyond your control. Hopefully they will 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 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 help.

What does commercial conveyancing in Claydon cover?

Commercial conveyancing in Claydon covers a broad array of services, provided by qualified solicitors, relating to business premises. For example, this area of conveyancing can cover the sale or purchase of freehold business premises or, more usually, the assignment of existing leases or the drafting of new leasing arrangements. Commercial conveyancing solicitors can also offer advice on the sale of business assets, commercial loans and the termination of tenancies.

Claydon Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Sample of Questions you should ask before Purchasing

The answer will be important as a) areas can cause problems in the building as the common areas may start to deteriorate if services remain unpaid b) if the tenants have an issue with the running of the building you will wish to have full disclosure Best to be warned if changing the roof or some other major work is coming up that will be shared amongst the leasehold owners and may well materially impact the level of the maintenance costs or require a specific payment. It would be a good idea to investigate if there are any onerous restrictions in the lease. For instance it is reasonably common in Claydon leases that pets are not allowed in in a block in Claydon. If you love the flatin Claydon however your dog is not allowed to make the move with you then you will be presented with a hard decision.