Last January we completed a house move in Liss. We have since encountered a number of problems with the property which we suspect were overlooked in the conveyancing searches. Do we have any recourse? Can you clarify the nature of searches that needed to have been conducted as part of conveyancing in Liss?

It is not clear from the question as to the nature of the problems and if they are unique to conveyancing in Liss. Conveyancing searches and due diligence initiated during the buying process are supposed to help avoid problems. As part of the process, a property owner answers a document referred to as a SPIF. If the information ends up being incorrect, you may have a misrepresentation claim against the vendor for any losses that you have suffered. The survey should have identified any problems with the structure of the property. Assuming a detailed survey was carried out and the issues were not identified, you may have a claim against the surveyor. However, if you did not have a full survey, you may be responsible for fixing any defects that have now been noted. We would always encourage buyers to take every possible step to ensure they are completely aware of the condition of a property before purchase regardless of whether they are buying in Liss.

At what point does exchange of contracts occur in domestic conveyancing in Liss and am I required to be at the lawyers office?

If you are near to our conveyancing solicitors in Liss you are welcome to attend to sign contracts. That being said, the firms we work with provide a nationwide conveyancing service and provide just as detailed and professional a job for you when communicating with you electronically. The signing of the contract is not the critical part. Signing on the dotted line is necessary for the firm to exchange contracts when the time is right, which is ordinarily shortly after signing. The exchange process is nowadays normally dealt with by telephone and can be very rapid, although where a long "chain" is in the mix, since the process requires the relevant party's solicitor (not necessarily a conveyancing solicitor in Liss)to be in the office available at the end of the phone to exchange contracts.

I'm at the point of viewing flats in Liss and I am now considering a potential offer. Should I already have a conveyancing practitioner in place at this point? I will be getting a mortgage with Nottingham.

You should start obtaining conveyancing estimates from solicitors ASAP. After you have chosen your lawyer and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and pass their contact information on to the EA. Given that you are taking out a mortgage with Nottingham, ask your prospective lawyers if they are on the Nottingham conveyancing panel otherwise they can't do the mortgage legal work.

I have decided to exercise my right to buy my property in Liss off the council. I have a mortgage agreed with Leeds Building Society. Conveyancing is not something I have any knowledge of. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should have one. Any advice?

It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with Leeds Building Society, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel.

I was told two weeks ago that my mortgage has been agreed to by UBS. Is it usual for UBS to only issue the offer once my solicitor in Liss is approved on their conveyancing panel? UBS have asked my solicitor to see a copy of their Professional Indemnity Insurance Schedule.

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

I've recently found out that there is a flying freehold element on a property I put an offer in last month in what was supposed to be a quick, no chain conveyancing. Liss is where the house is located. Is there any guidance you can give?

Flying freeholds in Liss are rare but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even though you don't necessarily need a conveyancing solicitor in Liss you would need to get your solicitor to go through the deeds very carefully. Your mortgage company may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Liss may determine that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold premises.

I am a negotiator for a busy estate agency in Liss where we see a number of flat sales jeopardised due to short leases. I have received conflicting advice from local Liss conveyancing firms. Could you confirm whether the seller of a flat can start the lease extension process for the buyer?

Provided that the seller has owned the lease 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. The benefit of this is that the buyer need not have to wait 2 years for a lease extension. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment needs to be completed before, or simultaneously with completion of the sale.

An alternative approach is 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 buyer.

I purchased a 2 bed flat in Liss, conveyancing was carried out half a dozen years ago. Can you please calculate a probable premium for a statutory lease extension? Comparable flats in Liss with over 90 years remaining are worth £222,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 yearly. The lease runs out on 21st October 2094

With 70 years remaining on your lease we estimate the price of your lease extension to range between £9,500 and £11,000 plus costs.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to advice on the actual costs in the absence of detailed investigations. You should not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be additional concerns that need to be considered and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you move forward based on this information without first getting professional advice.