How can we know in advance if a Dronfield conveyancing solicitor on the Principality panel is any good?

When it comes to conveyancing in Dronfield obtaining recommendations is a good start. Before you go ahead, check if they offer a no sale no fee offer. Also, you often get what you pay for - a firm which quotes more, will often provide a better service than one advertising the lowest fees. We would always advocate that you speak with the solicitor handling your transaction.

Last month we had a mortgage agreed in principle with Bank of Ireland. Dronfield conveyancing solicitors are selected. What is the average time that one could expect to receive a mortgage offer from Bank of Ireland?

There is no definitive answer here. Have Bank of Ireland completed the survey? Have you advised Bank of Ireland as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel? Sometimes it can take as long as six weeks for a mortgage offer to be issued.

I have today made my last payment due on my mortgage with HSBC. I assume I don't need a Dronfield conveyancer on the HSBC panel to remove the mortgage at the Land Registry. Please confirm.

If you have finished paying off your HSBC mortgage, they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the HSBC mortgage from the register. HSBC, and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:

1. but are not moving to another property
2. where HSBC has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
3. HSBC has instructed the Land Registry to do so

Do I need to pay for insurance to cover chancel repairs when buying a residence in Dronfield?

Unless a prior purchase of the premises completed post 12 October 2013 you can expect solicitors handling conveyancing in Dronfield to continue to propose a a chancel search and or insurance against a claim.

Despite weeks of looking the Title Certificate and documents to our property are lost. The lawyers who did the conveyancing in Dronfield 4 years ago no longer exist. What do I do?

Assuming you have a registered title the details of your ownership will be documented by HMLR under a Title Number. It is possible to execute a search at the Land Registry, locate your property and obtain up to date copies of the property title for less than a fiver. If the property is Leasehold then the Land Registry will in most cases retain a file copy of the Registered Lease and again, a copy can be ordered for £20 inclusive of VAT.

I am buying my first flat in Dronfield benefiting from help to buy. The sellers refused to move on the price so I negotiated £7000 of extras instead. The estate agent suggested that I not inform my conveyancer about this side-deal as it would adversely affect my loan with the lender. Do I keep my lawyer in the dark?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the builder of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.

Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.

Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.

Can you provide any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Dronfield from the perspective of speeding up the sale process?

• Much of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Dronfield can be reduced if you instruct lawyers as soon as you market your property and request that they start to put together the leasehold information which will be required by the purchasers’ solicitors.
You believe that you know the number of years left on your lease but it would be wise to double-check by asking your conveyancers. A purchaser's conveyancer will be unlikely to recommend their client to to exchange contracts if the remaining number of years is below 80 years. It is therefore important at an early stage that you consider whether the lease requires a lease extension. If it does, contact your solicitors before you put your property on the market for sale. If you have the benefit of shareholding in the Management Company, you should ensure that you are holding the original share document. Arranging a duplicate share certificate can be a time consuming formality and slows down many a Dronfield home move. If a duplicate share is required, do contact the company officers or managing agents (if applicable) for this at the earliest opportunity. Some Dronfield leases require Licence to Assign from the landlord. If this applies to your lease, you should place the estate agents on notice to make sure that the purchasers obtain financial (bank) and professional references. The bank reference should make it clear that the buyer is able to meet the annual service charge and the actual amount of the service charge should be quoted in the bank’s letter. You will therefore need to provide your estate agents with the service charge figures so that they can pass this information on to the buyers or their lawyers.

I am the registered owner of a 1st floor flat in Dronfield, conveyancing was carried out January 2009. How much will my lease extension cost? Comparable flats in Dronfield with a long lease are worth £260,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £45 levied per year. The lease ceases on 21st October 2097

With only 74 years unexpired we estimate the premium for your lease extension to be between £8,600 and £9,800 as well as professional fees.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to provide the actual costs without more comprehensive investigations. You should not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be other issues that need to be taken into account and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward based on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.