My apartment in Fairfield is up for sale and I have accepted an offer. Will the have to be on the conveyancing panel in order to deal with repayment of my mortgage?

Ordinarily, even if your lawyer is not on the conveyancing panel they can still act for you on your sale. It might be that the lender will not release the original deeds (if applicable and increasingly irrelevant) until after the mortgage is paid off. You should speak to your lawyer directly before you start the process though to ensure that there is no problem as lenders are changing their specifications fairly frequently currently.

I have paid off my mortgage with . I assume I don't need a Fairfield on the panel to discharge the mortgage at the Land Registry. Please confirm.

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

I am due to exchange contracts on my flat. I had a double glazing fitted in April 2008, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My purchaser’s lender, are being problematic. The Fairfield solicitor who is on the conveyancing panel is recommending indemnity insurance as a solution but are insisting on a building regulation certificate. Why do have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?

It is probably the case that have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing was correctly and safely installed. The indemnity insurance merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.

My offer was accepted on an apartment in Fairfield on , valuation was booked 3 days later, all came back fine. Solicitor retained, so all that was missing was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to and chasing them on my offer, I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the conveyancing panel. Can the lender hold off the offer?

A lender would not issue an offer until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.

Given that I will soon spend over three hundred thousand on a two bedroom apartment in Fairfield I wish to have a conversation with the lawyer regarding theconveyancing before giving the go ahead to the firm. Is this something that you can arrange?

This is something that we recommend - it is our preference to talk to you we do not take any clients on without you speaking to the lawyer due to be conducting your property ownership legalities in Fairfield.There is no ‘factory style conveyancing’ - every client is an important person, not a case number. The law firms that we put you in touch with believe that the figure you are calculated and presented to you for your conveyancing in Fairfield should be the figure that you end up paying.

My step-father has suggested that I instruct his lawyers for conveyancing in Fairfield. Do I take his recommendation?

There are no two ways about it the ideal way to find a conveyancing lawyer is to seek guidance from friends or relatives who have actually used the solicitor that you are contemplating using.

Fairfield Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - A selection of Questions you should consider Prior to Purchasing

The majority of Fairfield leasehold properties will have a service charge for the upkeep of the block invoiced by the freeholder. Where you acquire the flat you will have to meet this contribution, normally in instalments during the year. This can differ from a couple of hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for buildings with lifts and large communal grounds. There will also be a ground rent to be met annual, ordinarily this is not a significant amount, say around £50-£100 but you should to enquire it because on occasion it can be many hundreds of pounds. Is there a share of the freehold? The best form of lease arrangement is a share of the freehold. In this situation the leaseholders benefit from being in charge if their destiny and although a managing agent is frequently retained if it is larger than a house conversion, the managing agent is directed by the tenants.