My family lawyer has sent a quote for just over a thousand pound for fixed fee conveyancing in Greater Manchester. I’m selling a Georgian detached home for £250,000. Are these conveyancing fees excessive? Is it in excess of the norm for conveyancing in Greater Manchester?

The costs illustration is slightly on the expensive side. If you shop around you might shave off some of the expense by as much as £125. That being said, you couldlive to regret choosing an a cheaper conveyancer. Remember to enquire the solicitor can represent your lender. Do utilise our comparison tool to get a quote a Greater Manchester conveyancing practice on the lender’s member panel which can often include conveyancing solicitors in Greater Manchester.

We are selling our property in Greater Manchester and the buyers lawyers are claiming that there is a risk of it being constructed on contaminated land. Any local conveyancer would know this is not the case. It does beg the question why the buyers are using a nationwide conveyancing outfit as opposed to a conveyancing solicitor in Greater Manchester. We have lived in Greater Manchester for 4 years we know that this is a non issue. Is it a good idea to get in touch with our local Authority to seek confirmation that the buyers are looking for.

It sounds as though you may have a conveyancing lawyer already. What do they say? You should enquire of your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out health insurance to cover that same ailment)

I used Stirling Law several years ago for my conveyancing in Greater Manchester. I now require my papers however the law firm has closed. What do I do?

You should contact the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to assist in tracing your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Greater Manchester of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously instructed, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.

The estate agent has sent us the confirmation of our purchase of a new build apartment in Greater Manchester. Conveyancing is necessary evil at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. What sort of enquires would be asked in new build legal work.

Set out below is a sample of a selection of leasehold new build questions that you can expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Greater Manchester

Will control of the Management Company (if any) be handed over to purchasers on completion of the last sale or earlier? The Landlord must covenant to assume the management if the Management Company goes into liquidation or otherwise defaults in running the management scheme. The Lease must contain a provision on behalf of the Vendor to pay the service charges in respect of unoccupied units in order to ensure that all services can be provided. Has the Lease plan been approved by the Land Registry and if not when will they be lodged for this purpose? There must be mutual enforceability of lessee’s covenants.

We expect to complete the disposal of our £175,000 flat in Greater Manchester next Monday. The landlords agents has quoted £360 for Certificate of Compliance, insurance certificate and previous years service charge statements. Is the landlord entitled to charge an administration fee for a leasehold conveyance in Greater Manchester?

Greater Manchester conveyancing on leasehold flats normally involves the purchaser’s lawyer submitting enquiries for the landlord to answer. Although the landlord is not legally bound to respond to such questions the majority will be willing to do so. They are entitled to charge a reasonable administration fee for answering enquiries or supplying documentation. There is no set fee. The average fee for the information that you are referring to is over three hundred pounds, in some transactions it exceeds £800. The management information fee required by the landlord must be sent together with a summary of rights and obligations in respect of administration charges, otherwise the charge is not strictly payable. In reality one has no choice but to pay whatever is demanded if you want to sell the property.

Greater Manchester Leasehold Conveyancing - Examples of Queries before Purchasing

Who manages the building? Are there any major works in the planning that will likely increase the service charges? You will want to discover as much as possible regarding the managing agents as they can either make living at the property much easier or problematic. Being a leasehold owner you are often at the mercy of the managing agents from a financial perspective and when it comes to day to day issues such as the tidiness of the communal areas. Don't be shy to ask other tenants what they think of them. On a final note, be sure you discover the dates that you are obliged pay the service charge to the relevant party and precisely what it includes.