I am selling my apartment in Chester. Does the lawyer need to be required to be on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel in order to deal with paying off my mortgage?

Ordinarily, even if your lawyer is not on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel they can still act for you on your sale. It might be that the lender will not release the original deeds (if applicable and increasingly irrelevant) until after the mortgage is paid off. You should speak to your lawyer directly before you start the process though to ensure that there is no problem as lenders are changing their requirements fairly frequently currently.

It has been three months following my purchase conveyancing in Chester took place. I have checked the Land Registry site which shows that I paid £200,000 when infact I paid £215,000. Why the discrepancy?

The price paid figure is taken from the application to register the purchase. It is the figure included in the Transfer (the legal deed which transfers the asset from one person to the other) and referred to as the 'consideration' or purchase price. You can report an error in the price paid figure using the LR online form. In most cases errors result from typos so at first glance the figure. Do report it so they can double check and advise.

The estate agent has sent us the confirmation of our purchase of a new build flat in Chester. Conveyancing is a frightening process at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. What sort of enquires would be asked in new build conveyancing.

Set out below is a sample of a few leasehold new build enquiries that you should expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Chester

Has the Lease plan been approved by the Land Registry and if not when will they be lodged for this purpose? Please confirm the Lease plans are surveyor prepared. If there are lifts in the building, please confirm that the owners of flats on the ground and basement floors will not be required to contribute towards the cost of maintenance and renewal. The Lease must contain a provision on behalf of the Vendor to pay the service charges in respect of unoccupied units in order to ensure that all services can be provided. The Vendor must covenant to keep unoccupied units in good repair until long leases are granted therefore.

Am I best advised to choose a Chester conveyancing lawyer in close proximity to the house I am buying? I have an old university friend who can conduct the legal formalities however his firm is located 200kilometers drive away.

The primary upside of using a high street Chester conveyancing practice is that you can drop in to execute documents, present your identification documents and apply pressure on them where appropriate. Having local Chester know how is a bonus. However nothing is more important than finding someone that will pull out all the stops for you. If if people you trust used your friend and in the main were content that should outweigh using an unfamiliar Chester conveyancing solicitor just because they are based in the area.

Having checked my lease I have discovered that there are only 68 years unexpired on my flat in Chester. I am keen to extend my lease but my freeholder is missing. What options are available to me?

If you meet the appropriate requirements, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the County Court for an order to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will mean that your lease can be extended by the magistrate. However, you will be required to demonstrate that you or your lawyers have used your best endeavours to find the freeholder. For most situations an enquiry agent should be helpful to carry out a search and to produce an expert document which can be accepted by the court as proof that the landlord is indeed missing. It is wise to seek advice from a property lawyer in relation to investigating the landlord’s disappearance and the vesting order request to the County Court overseeing Chester.

Chester Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - A selection of Questions you should consider before buying

What is the name of the managing agents? What is the maintenance charge and ground rent on the flat? Does the lease contain onerous restrictions?