Our lawyer has uncovered a defect with the lease for the property we are buying in Ashton. The seller’s lawyers have suggested title insurance as a workaround. We are content with insurance and will cover the costs. Our solicitor says that he must check that the lender is happy with this solution. Are we the client or is the bank?

The short answer to your last question is that, notwithstanding the risk of a conflict of interest, you and the bank are the client. Your conveyancing practitioner must comply with the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook specifications. The UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook conditions require your lawyer to disclose issues such as defects with the lease so that the bank can be afforded the opportunity to check with their valuer as to the extent that the value of the property is affected. Should you refuse to allow your lawyer to make the appropriate notification then your solicitor will have no choice but to discontinue acting for you.

Can I be sure that the Ashton conveyancing solicitor on the Co-operative panel is any good?

When it comes to conveyancing in Ashton getting recommendations is a sensible starting point. Before you go ahead, check if they offer a no sale no fee offer. Also, you often get what you pay for - a firm which quotes more, will often provide a better service than one advertising the lowest fees. We would always suggest that you speak with the solicitor carrying out your transaction.

Two weeks ago we had a mortgage agreed in principle with UBS. Ashton conveyancing practitioners were instructed. How long does it take for UBS to issue the offer to the solicitor?

Some lenders take longer than others. Have UBS completed the survey? Have you informed UBS as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the UBS conveyancing panel? It is not unusual for a mortgage offer to take a month to come through.

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

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

A colleague advised me that if I am buying in Ashton I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. What does it cover?

This is a search is sometimes included in the estimate for your Ashton conveyancing searches. It is not a small document of more than thirty pages, listing and setting out significant information about Ashton around the property and the people living there. It includes an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the Ashton Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the demographics of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average Property Price, Crime statistics, Local Education with plans and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful information regarding Ashton.

Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold element on a property I have offered on two weeks back in what was supposed to be a quick, chain free conveyancing. Ashton is the location of the property. Is there any guidance you can give?

Flying freeholds in Ashton are rare but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even though you don't necessarily need a conveyancing solicitor in Ashton you would need to get your solicitor to go through the deeds thoroughly. Your bank may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Ashton may decide 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.

Do you have any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Ashton with the purpose of expediting the sale process?

• Much of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Ashton can be reduced where you instruct lawyers as soon as your agents start marketing the property and request that they start to put together the leasehold information which will be required by the buyers’ lawyers.
You believe that you know the number of years remaining on your lease but it would be wise to verify this by asking your solicitors. A buyer’s lawyer will not be happy to advise their client to where the lease term is under 75 years. In the circumstances it is essential at an as soon as possible that you identify whether the lease term for your property needs extending. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your premises on the market for sale. The majority of freeholders or managing agents in Ashton charge for supplying management packs for a leasehold home. You or your lawyers should find out the actual amount of the charges. The management information sought on or before finding a buyer, thus reducing delays. The average time it takes to obtain the necessary information is three weeks. It is the most common reason for frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Ashton. If you have had conflict with your freeholder or managing agents it is essential that these are settled prior to the flat being marketed. The buyers and their solicitors will be reluctant to purchase a property where there is an ongoing dispute. You may have to bite the bullet and discharge any arrears of service charge or settle the dispute prior to completion of the sale. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled ahead of the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You are still duty bound to disclose details of the dispute to the buyers, but it is better to present the dispute as historic as opposed to unsettled.

I own a 1st floor flat in Ashton, conveyancing having been completed August 1997. Can you let me have an estimated range of the fair premium for a lease extension? Comparable properties in Ashton with an extended lease are worth £211,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £45 charged once a year. The lease terminates on 21st October 2091

With 67 years unexpired we estimate the premium for your lease extension to range between £10,500 and £12,000 plus plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The figure above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to provide a more accurate figure in the absence of detailed investigations. Do not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt other issues that need to be taken into account and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not move forward based on this information without first getting professional advice.