I am buying a house and require a conveyancing solicitor in Garstang who is on the Nottingham Building Society conveyancing. Can you recommend a local conveyancing firm?

Our service is limited to being a directory service for firms who wish to listed as being on the approved conveyancing panel for Nottingham Building Society in certain locations such as Garstang. We dont recommend any particular firm.

This question may be naive but I am wet behind the ears as FTB of a ground floor flat in Garstang. Do I pick up the keys to the house on completion from my solicitor? If so, I will use a local conveyancing solicitor in Garstang?

On the day of completion you will not be required to attend the conveyancers office in Garstang. Conveyancing lawyers for you will electronically transfer the completion advance to the seller's conveyancers, and shortly after the monies have arrived, you will be called to collect the keys from the selling Agents and start moving into the property. Usually this occurs between 1 and 3pm.

When it comes to lenders such as Santander, do Garstang lawyers face a fee to be on the list of approved solicitors?

We are not aware of any bank fees to register on their list of approved firms, although some do charge an administration charge to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel application.

The formalities of my purchase has taken place for my property in Garstang. Conveyancing was of an acceptable standard but I feel I should register my dissatisfaction about the lender. How do I make a complaint?

Most banks and building societies have complaints procedures. Your first point of contact should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Care Team at head office. In most cases complaints to a lender are sorted out effectively and efficiently. If you feel the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service who will take matters further.

I am buying a new build apartment in Garstang. Conveyancing is necessary evil at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. Can you give me some examples of some of the questions asked in new build legal work.

Set out below is a sample of a selection of leasehold new build questions that you may expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Garstang

If there are lifts in the building, please confirm that the owners of flats on the ground and basement floors will not be required to contribute towards the cost of maintenance and renewal. Has the Lease plan been approved by the Land Registry and if not when will they be lodged for this purpose? Please supply a car parking plan. The Vendor must covenant to keep unoccupied units in good repair until long leases are granted therefore.

In my capacity as executor for the estate of my aunt I am disposing of a property in Swansea but live in Garstang. My solicitor (approximately 300 miles awayneeds me to execute a statutory declaration ahead of the transaction finalising. Can you recommend a conveyancing solicitor in Garstang to attest and place their company stamp on the document?

Technically speaking you should not need to have the documents attested by a conveyancing solicitor. Normally or notary public or qualified solicitor will suffice regardless of whether they are based in Garstang

Last April I purchased a leasehold property in Garstang. Do I have any liability for service charges for periods before completion of my purchase?

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).

Garstang Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Examples of Queries before Purchasing

Please inform me if there are any major works in the planning that could add a premium to the maintenance fees? Does the lease contain onerous restrictions? Please note that where the lease has no more than eighty years it will impact the salability of the flat. It is worth checking with your bank that they are willing to lend given the lease term. Leases with fewer than 80 years remaining means that you will most likely have to extend the lease at some point and you need to have some idea of how much this will be. For most Garstanglease extensions you would be be obliged to have been the owner of the property for a couple of years in order to be eligible to extend the lease.