I understand that there are debates on Chancel Insurance on online forums. Am I compelled to have this when acquiring a residence in Crewe? or I am told that there is an ancient law that means some owners of property residing in a parish church boundary may be liable to contribute towards repairs to the chancel within the church. Is this appropriate for conveyancing in Crewe?

Unless a previous acquisition of the house completed post 12 October 2013 you may take it that conveyancing practitioners conducting conveyancing in Crewe to continue to propose a a chancel search and or chancel repair liability policy.

Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to my property are lost. The lawyers who did the conveyancing in Crewe 4 years ago no longer exist. Will I be able to sell the house?

These day there are copies made of almost everything, and your lawyer should know exactly where to find all the suitable paperwork so you may buy or dispose of your property without a hitch. Where duplicates can’t be found, your conveyancer can arrange cover in the form of insurance or indemnities against future claims on the premises.

I have been on the look out for a ground for flat up to £235,500 and identified one close by in Crewe I like with open areas and railway links nearby, the downside is that it's only got 52 remaining years left on the lease. There is not much else in Crewe in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake purchasing a short lease?

Should you require a mortgage the remaining unexpired lease term will be an issue. Reduce the offer by the amount the lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the current owner has owned the premises for at least twenty four months you may request that they start the process of the extension and then assign it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the existing lease with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer about this matter.

I have been sourcing a conveyancing solicitor in Crewe for my sale. Is there any facility to review a solicitor's complaints history with the legal regulator?

Members of the public may find documented Solicitor Regulator Association (SRA) decisions stemming from investigations commenced on or after 1 January 2008. Go to Check a solicitor's record. To find details Pre 2008, or to check a solicitors history, call 0870 606 2555, 08.00 - 18.00 Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and 09.30 - 18.00 Tuesday. International callers, dial +44 (0)121 329 6800. The SRA sometimes monitor call for training reasons.

Helen (my wife) and I may need to sub-let our Crewe garden flat for a while due to a new job. We used a Crewe conveyancing practice in 2002 but they have since shut and we did not think at the time seek any guidance as to whether the lease permits subletting. How do we find out?

Your lease governs the relationship between the landlord and you the leaseholder; in particular, it will indicate if subletting is prohibited, or permitted but only subject to certain caveats. The rule is that if the lease contains no specific ban or restriction, subletting is permitted. The majority of leases in Crewe do not prevent an absolute prevention of subletting – such a clause would undoubtedly devalue the flat. Instead, there is usually simply a requirement that the owner notifies the freeholder, possibly supplying a duplicate of the sublease.

I purchased a 1 bedroom flat in Crewe, conveyancing was carried out 10 years ago. Can you give me give me an indication of the likely cost of a lease extension? Comparable flats in Crewe with a long lease are worth £211,000. The ground rent is £45 invoiced annually. The lease terminates on 21st October 2090

You have 67 years left to run the likely cost is going to span between £10,500 and £12,000 plus costs.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure in the absence of detailed investigations. Do not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be additional issues that need to be considered and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not move forward based on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.