A colleague recommended that if I am buying in Chorlton I should ask my conveyancer to carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?

A search of this type is sometimes quoted for as part of the standard Chorlton conveyancing searches. It is not a small report of more than thirty pages, listing and setting out important information about Chorlton around the property and the people living there. It incorporates an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the local Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the type of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average House Prices, Crime statistics, Local Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data about Chorlton.

It has been three months following my purchase conveyancing in Chorlton concluded. I have checked the Land Registry site which shows that I paid £175,000 when infact I paid £170,000. 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 premises 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.

Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold element on a property I have offered on a fortnight ago in what was supposed to be a quick, chain free conveyancing. Chorlton is the location of the property. Can you offer any opinion?

Flying freeholds in Chorlton are rare but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even though you don't necessarily need a conveyancing solicitor in Chorlton you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds very carefully. Your lender may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Chorlton may determine 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 residence.

Our conveyancer has advised that he intends to complete and exchange simultaneously on our sale of a £175,000 maisonette in Chorlton in just under a week. The managing agents has quoted £384 for Landlord’s certificate, insurance certificate and previous years service charge statements. Is the landlord entitled to charge such fees for a leasehold conveyance in Chorlton?

Chorlton conveyancing on leasehold flats nine out of ten times involves administration charges invoiced by managing agents :

Answering pre-exchange questions Where consent is required before sale in Chorlton Supplying insurance information Deeds of covenant upon sale Registering of the assignment of the change of lessee after a sale

Your solicitor will have no control over the level of the charges for this information but the average costs for the information for Chorlton leasehold property is £350. For Chorlton conveyancing transactions it is customary for the seller to pay for these costs. The landlord or their agents are under no legal obligation to answer such questions most will be willing to do so - albeit often at exorbitant prices where the fees bear little relation to the work involved. Unfortunately there is no law that requires fixed charges for administrative tasks. Neither is there any legal time frame by which they are obliged to supply answers.

I bought a 1st floor flat in Chorlton, conveyancing formalities finalised April 2005. 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? Equivalent properties in Chorlton with a long lease are worth £191,000. The ground rent is £55 yearly. The lease finishes on 21st October 2071

With just 53 years remaining on your lease the likely cost is going to span between £27,600 and £31,800 plus costs.

The figure above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to provide the actual costs without more comprehensive investigations. Do not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt additional concerns that need to be taken into account and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you take any other action based on this information without first getting professional advice.

Online reading suggests that Chorlton solicitors are more expensive than Chorlton conveyancers in Chorlton to use when buying a property. So is it better if I use a conveyancer or a solicitor where I am buying for my home move in Chorlton.

When it comes to conveyancing in Chorlton the costs are unlikely to vary dramatically depending on whether the legal expert is a licenced conveyancer or solicitor.