I am expecting a offer of a home loan from Halifax. I would like to enlist the help of a Licensed Conveyancer in Congleton. Does the Halifax Solicitor panel include Licensed Conveyancers?

The Halifax conveyancing panel is, like many other lenders, represented by the Council or Mortgage Lenders or BSA, open to Licensed Conveyancers regulated by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.

we are a couple who are hoping to buy a 3 bedroom apartment in Congleton with a homeloan from Nationwide Building Society.We use our Congleton conveyancing practitioner but Nationwide Building Society informed us he's not on their "panel". It seems we have little choice but to instruct a Nationwide Building Society panel firm or keep our local solicitor and pay for a Nationwide Building Society panel lawyer to represent them. We feel as though this is unjust; is there anything we can do?

No, not really. The home loan issued to you is subject to its terms and conditions, a common one being that lawyers will be on the Nationwide Building Society solicitor panel. in the past, most banks had large numbers of solicitors on their panels: a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. A further alternative is for your lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel for Nationwide Building Society

Should my lawyer be making enquiries about flooding during the conveyancing in Congleton.

Flooding is a growing risk for conveyancers dealing with homes in Congleton. Some people will acquire a house in Congleton, completely aware that at some time, it may suffer from flooding. However, aside from the physical damage, where a property is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to get a mortgage, adequate building insurance, or dispose of the premises. There are steps that can be taken during the course of a house purchase to forewarn the purchaser.

Conveyancers are not qualified to offer advice on flood risk, however there are a various checks that can be carried out by the buyer or by their lawyers which should give them a better understanding of the risks in Congleton. The conventional set of property information forms given to a purchaser’s lawyer (where the Conveyancing Protocol is adopted) incorporates a usual inquiry of the seller to discover if the premises has suffered from flooding. If flooding has previously occurred and is not revealed by the owner, then a purchaser may commence a legal claim for losses as a result of such an misleading reply. A purchaser’s lawyers may also conduct an environmental search. This should higlight if there is a recorded flood risk. If so, additional inquiries will need to be made.

I am thinking of appointing a conveyancing solicitor in Congleton for my purchase. Can I check a firm’s complaints history with the profession’s regulator?

Members of the public may review published Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) determinations resulting from inquisitions started on or after Jan 2008. Visit Check a solicitor's record. To find details Pre 2008, or to check a firm's record, phone 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 any week day save for Tuesday when lines open at 9.30am. For non-uk callers, call +44 (0)121 329 6800. The regulator sometimes monitor telephone calls for training purposes.

Last December I purchased a leasehold flat in Congleton. Do I have any liability for service charges for periods before completion of my purchase?

In a situation where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous lessee and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. Strange as it may seem, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. A critical element of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to be sure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.

If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).

I invested in buying a basement flat in Congleton, conveyancing formalities finalised in 2005. Can you shed any light on how much the price could be for a 90 year extension to my lease? Corresponding properties in Congleton with an extended lease are worth £211,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £45 invoiced every year. The lease terminates on 21st October 2090

With only 68 years unexpired we estimate the premium for your lease extension to span between £9,500 and £11,000 as well as costs.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to provide the actual costs in the absence of detailed due diligence. Do not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be other concerns that need to be taken into account and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not take any other action placing reliance on this information before getting professional advice.