I am hoping to receive a offer of a home loan from Halifax. I would like to employ the services of a Licensed Conveyancer in Darwen. Does the Halifax Conveyancing panel exclude Licensed Conveyancers?

The Halifax approved solicitor list is, like many other lenders, represented by the Council or Mortgage Lenders or BSA, open to Licensed Conveyancers regulated by the CLC.

As someone not used to the Darwen conveyancing process what is your top tip you can impart concerning the ownership transfer in Darwen

You may not hear this from too many lawyers but conveyancing in Darwen or throughout England and Wales is an adversarial process. Put another way, when it comes to conveyancing there is an abundance of opportunity for conflict between you and other parties involved in the ownership transfer. For example, the seller, estate agent and on occasion your mortgage company. Choosing a lawyer for your conveyancing in Darwen is a critical decision as your conveyancer is your adviser, and is the ONE person in the transaction whose role it is to look after your legal interests and to protect you.

Every so often a third party with a vested interest may try and convince you that you should follow their advice. For instance, the property agent may claim to be assisting by claiming that your lawyer is dragging his heels. Or your mortgage broker may advise you to do something that is contrary to your lawyers recommendation. You should always trust your lawyer above all other parties in the conveyancing process.

We're in Darwen, First time buyers purchasing with a mortgage (lender is Clydesdale , and our solicitor is on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel). How long should the conveyancing process take?

The fact that your lawyer is on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel is a help. It would almost certainly delay matters if they were not. However, no lawyer should guarantee a timeframe for your conveyancing, due to third parties outside of your control such as delays caused by lenders,conveyancing search providers or by the other side’s solicitors. The time taken is often determined by the number of parties in a chain.

Just bought a semi-detached house in Darwen , What is the estimated time for the Land Registry to deal with the formalities evidencing my title? My Darwen conveyancing solicitor works at snail pace, so I want to be certain the land registry aspects are dealt with.

There is nothing unique when it comes to conveyancing in Darwen registration formalities. As opposed to being determined by geographic area, timescales can differ depending on the party submitting the application, whether it is in order and whether the Land registry must send notices to any other persons or bodies. As of today roughly 80% of such applications are fully addressed within 12 days but some can be subject to longer delays. Registration occurs after the buyer is living at the premises thus 'speed' is not usually an essential issue but where it is urgent that the the registration takes place urgently then you or your conveyancer should communicate with the Registry to express the reasoning for the application to be prioritised.

My fiance and I may need to sub-let our Darwen garden flat for a while due to a career opportunity. We instructed a Darwen conveyancing practice in 2001 but they have since shut and we did not think at the time seek any advice as to whether the lease allows us to sublet. How do we find out?

Notwithstanding that your previous Darwen conveyancing solicitor is not available you can review your lease to see if you are permitted to let out the premises. The accepted inference is that if the lease is non-specific, subletting is permitted. Quite often there is a prerequisite that you must seek permission from your landlord or other appropriate person in advance of subletting. This means you not allowed to sublet in the absence of first obtaining consent. The consent is not allowed to be unreasonably turned down. If your lease prohibits you from letting out the property you will need to ask your landlord if they are willing to waive this restriction.

I bought a 1 bedroom flat in Darwen, conveyancing having been completed in 1997. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Similar properties in Darwen with a long lease are worth £185,000. The ground rent is £65 per annum. The lease ends on 21st October 2085

You have 61 years left to run we estimate the price of your lease extension to range between £18,100 and £20,800 as well as plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to provide a more accurate figure in the absence of comprehensive due diligence. You should not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt other concerns that need to be considered and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward based on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.