The conveyancer who assisted with my previous purchase has sent a quote for £1700 for fixed fee conveyancing in Birmingham. I’m selling a Victorian property for £125,000. Is this too much? Is it above the norm for conveyancing in Birmingham?

The charges are a little high. If you shop around you might shave off some of the expense by as much as £125. That being said, you couldlive to rue choosing an an untested conveyancer. If is important to check the conveyancer can act for your lender. Do utilise our comparison tool to get a quote a Birmingham conveyancing company on the banks approved list of lawyers which can often include conveyancing solicitors in Birmingham.

I am purchasing a house mortgage free in Birmingham. I have lived for the previous Seventeen years in Birmingham. Conveyancing searches are exorbitant. Given that I have knowledge of the area and road very well must I have all the conveyancing searches?

If you not getting a home loan, then all but one or two of the Birmingham conveyancing searches are optional. Your solicitor will try and sway you, perhaps strongly, that you should have searches carried out, but she is duty bound to take that path of guidance. Do consider; if you are going to dispose of the house in the future, it could be of interest to your prospective purchaser what the searches disclose. On occasion properties with functional issues can still show up unpredicted search results. A competent conveyancing solicitor in Birmingham should be able to give you some constructive guidance here.

My husband and I intend to purchase a newly converted apartment in Birmingham with a loan from Bank of Scotland.We would like to retain our Birmingham conveyancing solicitor but Bank of Scotland says her practice is not on their "panel". We have to appoint a Bank of Scotland panel firm or keep our preferred solicitor and pay for a Bank of Scotland panel lawyer to act for them. This seems very unfair; is there anything we can do?

Unfortunately,no. The loan issued to you is subject to its terms and conditions, a common one being that solicitors must be on the Bank of Scotland approved list. Until recently, most mortgage companies had large numbers of solicitors on their panels: a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. Another option that might be available is for your lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel for Bank of Scotland

This question may be naive but I am new to the process as FTB of a garden flat in Birmingham. Do I pick up the keys to the property on the completion date from my conveyancer? If this is the case, I will appoint a High Street conveyancing solicitor in Birmingham?

There is no need to visit the lawyers office on the day of completion. Your solicitors will arrange to send the completion advance to the owner’s solicitors, and shortly after the monies have arrived, you will be invited to pick up the keys from the selling Agents and start moving into the property. This tends to happen early afternoon.

We are aiming to move home in June. Should my conveyancing solicitor liaise with the removal company on the day of completion. As an aside, can you suggest a removal company in Birmingham. Conveyancing lawyer was organised prior to coming across this website.

On the day of completion you will need to pick up the keys from the selling agent but this should only happen once the vendors solicitors inform the agent that the monies to complete are in and the keys can be released. After that you will need to advise the removal company that you are ready to move in. As a matter of policy we do not suggest a specific removal company but can assist you in choosing a residential property solicitor in Birmingham or a firm with expertise in conveyancing in Birmingham.

We have agreed to purchase a house in Birmingham. A rare aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Leeds Building Society have issued a mortgage offer so presumably this is not a concern to them. Why is my solicitor raising questions about the panel?

Given that you are obtaining a mortgage with Leeds Building Society your lawyer must check the formal requirements set out in Part two of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Leeds Building Society. The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook contains minimum conditions for solar panel roof-space leases, and property lawyers are required to report to Leeds Building Society where a lease fails to satisfy these conditions. The requirements relate to the installation of panels on properties in England and Wales and is not restricted to Birmingham.

I am tempted by the attractive purchase price for a couple of flats in Birmingham which have approximately fifty years unexpired on the leases. Will this present a problem?

There are plenty of short leases in Birmingham. The lease is a right to use the premises for a prescribed time frame. As a lease shortens the saleability of the lease reduces and results in it becoming more costly to extend the lease. This is why it is generally wise to increase the term of the lease. It is often difficulties arise selling premises with a short lease as mortgage companies may be reluctant to lend money on such properties. Lease enfranchisement can be a difficult process. We recommend you seek professional help from a solicitor and surveyor with experience in this arena.

I purchased a 1st floor flat in Birmingham, conveyancing was carried out in 2000. Can you let me have an estimate of the premium that my landlord can legally expect in return for granting a renewal of my lease? Corresponding properties in Birmingham with a long lease are worth £216,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 charged once a year. The lease expires on 21st October 2088

With just 69 years left to run we estimate the premium for your lease extension to span between £9,500 and £11,000 as well as professional fees.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to supply a more accurate figure in the absence of detailed due diligence. Do not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be other concerns that need to be considered and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you move forward placing reliance on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.