I am buying a house without a mortgage in Ellesmere Port. I have lived for the last twelve years in Ellesmere Port. Conveyancing searches are a lot of money. As I have knowledge of the area and road intimately must I have all the conveyancing searches?

In the absence of a mortgage, then the vast majority of the Ellesmere Port conveyancing searches are optional. Your conveyancer will 'advise', perhaps strongly, that you should have searches carried out, but he has a professional duty to do this. One thing to consider; if you are likely to sell the house in the future, it could be of importance to your prospective buyer what the searches reveal. Sometimes houses with functional issues can still throw up unpredicted search results. A competent conveyancing solicitor in Ellesmere Port will be able to give you some sensible advice in this regard.

Me and my brother own a terraced Victorian property in Ellesmere Port. Conveyancing solicitor acted for me and Nottingham Building Society. I did a free Land Registry search last week and I saw a couple of entries: the first freehold, the second leasehold with the exact same property. Is it worth asking Nottingham Building Society to clarify?

You should review the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register for mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered owner of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Ellesmere Port and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they remortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with mortgage companies. You can also question the situation with your conveyancing lawyer who completed the work.

How does conveyancing in Ellesmere Port differ for newly converted properties?

Most buyers of new build premises in Ellesmere Port approach us having been asked by the seller to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the premises is constructed. This is because builders in Ellesmere Port usually buy the site, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct conveyancers as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are accustomed to new build conveyancing in Ellesmere Port or who has acted in the same development.

Back In 2000, I bought a leasehold flat in Ellesmere Port. Conveyancing and National Westminster Bank mortgage are in place. A letter has just been received from someone saying they have taken over the reversionary interest in the property. It included a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1995. The conveyancing practitioner in Ellesmere Port who acted for me is not around. Any advice?

First contact the Land Registry to be sure that this person is in fact the registered owner of the freehold reversion. You do not need to instruct a Ellesmere Port conveyancing lawyer to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for £3. Rest assured that in any event, even if this is the rightful landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.

I bought a 1 bedroom flat in Ellesmere Port, conveyancing formalities finalised October 2011. Can you give me give me an indication of the likely cost of a lease extension? Corresponding flats in Ellesmere Port with over 90 years remaining are worth £195,000. The ground rent is £45 charged once a year. The lease expires on 21st October 2082

With 63 years remaining on your lease the likely cost is going to be between £16,200 and £18,600 as well as costs.

The figure above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs in the absence of comprehensive investigations. Do not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be additional issues that need to be taken into account and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not take any other action based on this information without first getting professional advice.

My intention is to purchase a garden maisonette in Ellesmere Port. Conveyancing solicitor has been awaiting, from the vendor, building insurance documents. Earlier today I was informed that the owner needs to send the insurance schedule for the flat above also. Why does my conveyancing practitioner need to check the insurance for the flat above? Is it strictly necessary? We have been in hold for the previous two weeks…

It is not unheard of in leasehold conveyancing in Ellesmere Port to find Conveyancing in Ellesmere Port in a minority of cases reveals that the lease provides for the leasehold owners to insure their individual flats as opposed to the freeholder insuring the entire premises - which is definitely better. Do clarify with your solicitor but it would seem that your solicitor is attempting to establish that the entire building is insured. Insuring your residence is no help when it comes to rebuilding after a fire if the other flat cannot be reinstated as a result of lack of insurance.