My partner and I are planning to buy a home in Bolton and are in fact using a Bolton conveyancing firm. Within the last couple of days our solicitor has forwarded the sale agreement to be signed with a detailed report with the expectation that exchange is imminent. Lloyds TSB Bank have this afternoon contacted us to inform me that there is now an issue as our Bolton conveyancer is not on their conveyancing panel. Please explain?

If you are buying a property with the assistance of a mortgage it is usual for the purchasers' lawyers to also represent the mortgage company. In order to act for a bank or building society a law firm has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the law firm to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the firm has to satisfy and indeed some lenders now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Accreditation Scheme. Your solicitor should contact your lender and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own lawyers to represent them. You don't have to instruct a firm on the lender’s conveyancing panel as you are at liberty to use your preferred Bolton lawyers, in which case it will likely add costs, and it will likely delay the transaction as you are adding another lawyer into the mix.

I am acquiring a property mortgage free in Bolton. I have resided for the last dozen years in Bolton. Conveyancing searches are exorbitant. As I know the road and vicinity very well should I not bother getting the solicitor to do all the conveyancing searches?

In the absence of a home loan, then almost all of the Bolton conveyancing searches are non-obligatory. Your lawyer will try and steer you, no-doubt strongly, that you should have searches completed, but he has a professional duty to do this. One thing to consider; if you are going to dispose of the house one day, it will likely be be of relevance to your future purchaser what the searches reveal. There are plenty of instances where houses with functional issues can still show up unfavourable search results. A competent conveyancing solicitor in Bolton should be able to give you some helpful guidance concerning this.

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

There are many recorded licenced Conveyancers in Bolton and Solicitor partnerships in Bolton to choose from It is important to make clear that both are supervised by regulatory bodies with both specialising in the legal work in the home buying process. The two can conduct associated property related work such as remortgage conveyancing, lease extensions and transfer of equity conveyancing.

Have just purchased a repossessed house at auction in Bolton. Conveyancing is necessary. What is next?

Now that you are legally committed yourself to purchase you will need to appoint a conveyancing solicitor as a matter of urgency as you are faced with a tight a fixed date to complete the conveyancing. An auction property should have a corresponding auction pack. This should include evidence of title and search results. In the case of leasehold property the legal pack may provide a copy of the lease, management information and a sellers leasehold information form and associated conveyancing documentation relating to a leasehold property. You should hand this to your appointed conveyancing solicitor as soon as possible. You also need to ensure that your finances are in order to complete the transaction on the set completion date.

It is not clear whether my bank requires a lease extension. I have telephoned my Bolton building society branch on numerous occasions and was told it wasn't an issue and they would lend. My Bolton conveyancing solicitor - who is on the bank conveyancing panel- called and was told they refuse to lend based on their specific requirements. I have no idea who is right.

The conveyancing practitioner must follow the CML Handbook section two conditions for your bank. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that the bank will go ahead, your lawyer has no choice but to refrain from exchanging contract and committing you to the purchase. We would suggest that you ask the lender to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the number of years left on the lease.

Should commercial conveyancing searches reveal proposed roadworks that could impact a commercial premises in Bolton?

Its becoming the norm that commercial conveyancing solicitors in Bolton will conduct a SiteSolutions Highways report as it dramatically cuts the time that conveyancers spend in investigating accurate data on highways that impact buildings and development assets in Bolton. The search result sets out definitive information on the adoption status of roads, footpaths and verges, as well as the implication of traffic schemes and the rights of way surrounding a commercial development sites in Bolton.

For each commercial conveyancing transaction in Bolton it is crucial to investigate the adoption status of roads surrounding a site. Failure to identify developments where adoption procedures have not been dealt with adequately may result in delays to Bolton commercial conveyancing transactions as well as pose a risk to future intentions for the site. These searches are not ordered for domestic conveyancing in Bolton.

As co-executor for the will of my uncle I am selling a residence in Cardiff but reside in Bolton. My conveyancer (approximately 200 kilometers awayrequires that I sign a stat dec prior to completion. Can you recommend a conveyancing lawyer in Bolton to witness this legal document for me?

strictly speaking you are not likely to be required to have the documents witnessed by a conveyancing solicitor. Ordinarily or notary public or solicitor will be fine regardless of whether they are Bolton based