It is a dozen years since I purchased my house in Congleton. Conveyancing lawyers have just been retained on the sale but I can't track down my title deeds. Will this cause complications?

You need not be too concerned. Firstly there is a possibility that the deeds will be with your mortgage company or they could be in the possession of the solicitor who oversaw your purchase. Secondly in most cases the land will be registered at the land registry and you will be able to establish that you are the registered owner by your conveyancing solicitors procuring current official copies of the land registers. Nearly all conveyancing in Congleton relates to registered property but in the unlikely event that your home is unregistered it is more tricky but is resolvable.

We are expecting a mortgage offer soon. The lender mentioned the loan came with free conveyancing. Is the implication that I have to appoint their panel solicitor as I would much rather appoint a Congleton based conveyancing firm?

You should check but the the likelihood is that allocate you one of their panel solicitors where you want the "fee-free" offer. Speak to the lender to ask if they allow a monetary alternative. Some banks have previously offered a £250 cashback as an alternative in which case you could put that amount towards your preferred conveyancing solicitor near Congleton.

My stepmother pointed out to me me that in purchasing a property in Congleton there may be a number of restrictions preventing external changes to a property. Is this right?

We are aware of anumerous of properties in Congleton which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to carry out external changes. Part of the conveyancing in Congleton should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.

We are getting a further advance on our home loan from Clydesdale as we wish to conduct improvements to our property in Congleton. Are we obliged to appoint a nearby Congleton solicitor on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel to deal with the paperwork?

Clydesdale don't usually instruct firms on their conveyancing panel to handle the formalities. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Clydesdale list.

After shopping around on the internet I have found a Congleton property lawyer having checked that they are on the Clydesdale conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?

Clydesdale will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Clydesdale will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. You may wish to consider appointing your own Congleton surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller.

I am buying a new build flat in Congleton. Conveyancing is necessary evil at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. Can you give me some examples of some of the questions asked in new build legal work.

Set out below are examples of a selection of leasehold new build enquiries that you may expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Congleton

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. Please confirm the Lease plans are architect prepared. Will the freehold then be transferred for a nominal consideration (not exceeding £100) to the Management Company? 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.

I am looking for a ground for flat up to £195,000 and identified one near me in Congleton I like with amenity areas and station in the vicinity, the downside is that it's only got 52 years unexpired on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Congleton suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake buying a short lease?

Should you require a mortgage the remaining unexpired lease term may be problematic. Reduce the price by the expected lease extension will cost if not already taken into account. If the current owner has owned the property for at least 2 years you could request that they start the process of the extension and pass it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the existing lease term with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing solicitor about this matter.