My wife and I are purchasing a house in Marsden. I might seem paranoid but how we can trust a lawyer? On the day of competition we will need to deposit our life savings into their account. What is the protection we have from them run away with our monies?

Be assured that all money in a Solicitors client account is 100% safe, and even if your Solicitor ran off with it, the Law Society would reimburse you fully.

What is the difference between a licensed conveyancer and conveyancing solicitor in Marsden

There are many recorded licenced Conveyancers in Marsden and Solicitor partnerships in Marsden who can assist with your conveyancing We would stress that the two are supervised by regulatory bodies with both specialising in the legal work in the home buying process. They may both also handle associated property related work such as remortgage conveyancing, enfranchisement and transfer of equity conveyancing.

After shopping around on the internet I have found a Marsden solicitor having made sure that they are on the Aldermore conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?

Aldermore will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Aldermore will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. Your conveyancer will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by your Marsden postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Aldermore, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Marsden.

How does conveyancing in Marsden differ for new build properties?

Most buyers of new build premises in Marsden come to us having been asked by the developer to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the house is completed. This is because builders in Marsden tend to buy the land, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct conveyancers as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are used to new build conveyancing in Marsden or who has acted in the same development.

I have been recommended by a few estate agents in Marsden to choose a solicitor on your site. Is there a financial incentive for Estate Agents to recommend your lawyers rather than a competitor’s?

We don’t offer any financial incentive for pointing buyers and sellers in our direction. We found it would be just too difficult to pay a commission because a client could think, ‘How come the agent getting a kickback? Why am I not getting any benefit too?’ We would prefer to grow our business on genuine recommendations.

We're first time buyers - had an offer accepted, but the agent has warned us that the vendor will only move forward if we use their preferred lawyers as they need an ‘expedited deal’. We would rather use a high street conveyancer accustomed to conveyancing in Marsden

It is unlikely the sellers are driving this. Should the seller require ‘a quick sale', turning down a serious buyer is going to damage their objectives. Contact the owners directly and make sure they comprehend that (a)you are keen to buy (b)you are excited to move forward, with finances in place © you are unencumbered (d) you intend to proceed fast (e)however you are going to appoint your own,trusted Marsden conveyancing lawyers - not the ones that will provide the negotiator at the agency a introducer fee or achieve conveyancing targets demanded by HQ.

I work for a busy estate agent office in Marsden where we see a few leasehold sales jeopardised due to short leases. I have received inconsistent advice from local Marsden conveyancing solicitors. Please can you clarify whether the vendor of a flat can initiate the lease extension process for the buyer?

As long as 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. The benefit of this is that the buyer can avoid having to wait 2 years to extend their lease. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment needs to be completed prior to, or simultaneously with completion of the disposal of the property.

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 am the registered owner of a studio flat in Marsden, conveyancing was carried out 10 years ago. How much will my lease extension cost? Corresponding properties in Marsden with a long lease are worth £216,000. The ground rent is £50 charged once a year. The lease finishes on 21st October 2095

With only 69 years remaining on your lease we estimate the price of your lease extension to be between £9,500 and £11,000 as well as legals.

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 comprehensive investigations. You should not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt additional issues that need to be taken into account and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not move forward placing reliance on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.