Just been in touch with my conveyancing solicitor in Alderley Edge and Wilmslow who completed the legal work 18 months ago asking for a conveyancing costs illustration based on the same type of home move (a leasehold residence and a freehold property) of similar values with a home loan from Virgin Money. I am now being charged twice the amount. Am I right to be tempted to shop around for an alternative property lawyer?

The estimate does seem a tad overpriced. If you are willing to spend time comparing costs you may be able to get the conveyancing a bit cheaper by say £100 plus VAT. On the other hand, assuming were happy with the service the firm offered you couldlive to rue opting for an an untested conveyancer. Don't forget to ensure the firm can act for Virgin Money. You can make use of our search tool to select a Alderley Edge and Wilmslow conveyancing firm on the Virgin Money approved list of lawyers, which can often include conveyancing solicitors in Alderley Edge and Wilmslow.

Will conveyancers request an advanced payment for conveyancing in Alderley Edge and Wilmslow?

If you are buying a property in Alderley Edge and Wilmslow your solicitor will ask you to provide them with funds to cover the search fees. This will be the total of the cost of the Local Authority Search. When the down payment is as part of the purchase price then this should be required immediately before contracts are exchanged. Any further balance that is needed should be transferred shortly before completion.

I had intended to instruct a property lawyer in Alderley Edge and Wilmslow for our house move. Our broker informed us that our mortgage lenders Clydesdale won't deal with them. Surely this is unfair competition?

Lenders normally imposes restrictions either the type or the amount of conveyancing practices on their approved list of lawyers. Typical examples of such criteria being that a firm must not be a sole practitioner. As well as restricting the profile of firm, some have decided to limit the number of solicitor practices they permit to represent them. You should note that Clydesdale have no responsibility for the quality of advice provided by any member of Clydesdale Conveyancer Panel. Mortgage fraud was a key driver in the rationalisation of solicitor panels a few years ago even though there remains differing views concerning the level of solicitor engagement in some of that fraud. Statistics from the Land Registry indicate that thousands of law firms, including some in or near Alderley Edge and Wilmslow only conduct one or two conveyances a year.

I work for a busy estate agent office in Alderley Edge and Wilmslow where we see a number of leasehold sales derailed due to leases having less than 80 years remaining. I have been given inconsistent advice from local Alderley Edge and Wilmslow conveyancing solicitors. Could you clarify whether the owner of a flat can initiate the lease extension formalities for the buyer?

Provided that the seller has been the owner for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. This means that the buyer need not have to wait 2 years to extend their lease. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment has to be done before, or at the same time as completion of the sale.

Alternatively, it may be possible to extend the lease informally by agreement with the landlord either before or after the sale. If you are informally negotiating there are no rules and so you cannot insist on the landlord agreeing to grant an extension or transferring the benefit of an agreement to the purchaser.

I bought a 1st floor flat in Alderley Edge and Wilmslow, conveyancing was carried out 8 years ago. Can you give me give me an indication of the likely cost of a lease extension? Corresponding properties in Alderley Edge and Wilmslow with over 90 years remaining are worth £195,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £45 invoiced every year. The lease expires on 21st October 2086

With only 62 years left to run we estimate the premium for your lease extension to span between £17,100 and £19,800 plus plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs without more comprehensive investigations. You should not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be other concerns that need to be taken into account and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not take any other action based on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.

Do banks and building societies provide you with an approved list of Alderley Edge and Wilmslow solicitors? How do you know who is on the lender conveyancing panel?

Alderley Edge and Wilmslow law firm practices and firms conducting conveyancing in Alderley Edge and Wilmslow themselves provide us confirmation that they are on the mortgage company conveyancing panel as opposed to being supplied with a list from the mortgage company directly.