I am buying a garden flat in Blackley. Conveyancing solicitors are said to be ‘a necessary evil’ but can I do it myself?

Leaving aside the complexities and merits of DIY conveyancing in Blackley you will have to appoint a solicitor on your bank's conveyancing panel to look after their interests. Most people therefore find it easier to let the solicitor act for them and the lender. Furthermore there is minimal cost savings to be made in you doing conveyancing for yourself and another lawyer conducting the conveyancing for the lender. Please feel free to use the search tool to find a lawyer on your lender panel in Blackley.

My friend recommended that if I am purchasing in Blackley I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. What does it cover?

This is a search is usually quoted for as part of the standard Blackley conveyancing searches. It is not a small document of more than thirty pages, listing and detailing significant information about Blackley around the property and the people living there. It includes an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the Blackley Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the demographics of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average House Prices, Crime statistics, Blackley Education with plans and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful information concerning Blackley.

The deeds to our property can not be found. The solicitors who conducted the conveyancing in Blackley 10 years ago no longer exist. What do I do?

As long as the title is registered the information relating to your ownership will be evidenced by the Land Registry with a Title Number. It is easy to conduct a search at the Land Registry, locate your property and secure current copies of the Registered Entries for less than a fiver. Where the property is Leasehold then the Land Registry will in most cases hold a file copy of the Registered Lease and again, a copy can be retrieved for £20 inclusive of VAT.

I was pointed in your direction by a number of estate agents in Blackley to choose a property lawyer on your site. What’s the financial advantage for Estate Agents to market your site over and above alternative conveyancing organisations?

We don’t make any commission for sending work our way. We found it would be just too difficult a fee because a client could think, ‘How come the agent getting a kickback? Why aren’t I receiving any benefit too?’ So we decided to step away from that.

My estate agent has recommended their conveyancing practitioner for my conveyancing in Blackley - won’t it be easier to just use them?

You need to establish if the estate agent is recommending a property lawyer or introducing to a conveyancing practitioner. There are plenty of Blackley selling agents who recommend two or three Blackley conveyancing firms purely based on those lawyers offering a great service.