I just bought a house at auction in Doncaster. Conveyancing is needed. What are my next steps?

Given that you have now exchanged you now have to hire the services of a conveyancing practitioner quickly as you now have a tight a drop dead date to complete the transaction. All auction property will ordinarily have an associated legal set of papers. This will include most,if not all of the paperwork that your lawyer will need. Where you are dealing with leasehold property the auction papers may contain a copy of the lease, management information and a sellers leasehold information form and other conveyancing documentation relating to leasehold premises. You need to hand this to your appointed conveyancing solicitor ASAP. Do make sure that you have funds in order to complete the transaction on the set completion date.

I am the only beneficiary of my late mum's estate with all property in now in my sole name, including the house in Doncaster. The Doncaster property was put into my name in September. I want to move. I understand that there is a CML six month 'rule', meaning my property ownership may be treated the same way as though I had purchased the property in September. Is the property unsalable for six months?

The Council of Mortgage Lenders’ handbook mandates conveyancers to: "report to us immediately if the owner or registered proprietor has been registered for less than six months." By the strict wording you might be affected by that. many lenders would take a practical view as this requirement is chiefly there to capture the purchase and immediately sell or the flipping of properties.

We have a mortgage agreed in principle with Yorkshire BS. Doncaster conveyancing solicitors were instructed. How long does it take for Yorkshire BS to forward the offer to the conveyancing practitioner?

Some lenders take longer than others. Have Yorkshire BS conducted the valuation? Have you advised Yorkshire BS as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the Yorkshire BS conveyancing panel? It is not unusual for a mortgage offer to take a month to come through.

I have todaybecome aware that Arc property Solicitors have closed. They conducted my conveyancing in Doncaster for a purchase of a freehold house 12 months ago. How can I be sure that the property is in my name in the name of the previous owner?

The quickest method to see if the premises is registered to you, you can carry out a search of the land registry (£3.00). You can either do this yourself or ask a law firm to do this for you. If you are not registered you can seek help from one of a number of Doncaster conveyancing specialists.

Yesterday I discovered that there is a flying freehold issue on a property I have offered on last month in what should have been a straight forward, chain free conveyancing. Doncaster is the location of the property. Is there any guidance you can impart?

Flying freeholds in Doncaster are rare but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside Doncaster you would need to get your solicitor to go through the deeds thoroughly. Your bank may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Doncaster may decide 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.

Do I need to be concerned that brokers that I am dealing with are suggesting a nationwide conveyancing firm as opposed to a High Street Doncaster conveyancing firm?

As with many professional services, often suggestions from family and friends can be extremely useful or valuable. But there are lots of people with a keen interest in a conveyancing deal; estate agents, mortgage brokers and lenders may recommend solicitors to instruct. Sometimes the conveyancers might be known to one of the organisations as being good in their field, but occasionally there may be a commercial relationship behind the recommendation. You have the discretion to appoint your own lawyer. However, bear in mind that some lenders operate an approved list of conveyancers you are obliged to use for the lender related work in your house move.

Estate agents have just been given the go-ahead to market my ground floor flat in Doncaster. Conveyancing is yet to be initiated, however I have recently had a half-yearly maintenance charge demand – should I leave it to the buyer to sort out?

Your conveyancing lawyer is likely to suggest that you should discharge the maintenance contribution as usual as all ground rent and maintenance charges will be allotted on completion, so you will be reimbursed by the purchaser for the period running from after the completion date to the next payment date. Most management companies will not acknowledge the buyer unless the service charges have been paid and are up to date, so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. This will smooth the conveyancing process.

I purchased a basement flat in Doncaster, conveyancing having been completed half a dozen years ago. 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? Comparable flats in Doncaster with a long lease are worth £181,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £55 levied per year. The lease finishes on 21st October 2076

With only 51 years unexpired we estimate the premium for your lease extension to be between £30,400 and £35,200 as well as costs.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs in the absence of detailed investigations. Do not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be additional concerns that need to be taken into account and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not move forward placing reliance on this information without first getting professional advice.