I sincerely hope you can help me. My Halifax lawyer is assuring me that she is duty bound toapply for Halifax conveyancing searches becausethe firm are on the Lloydsapproved lawyer panel. Is my conveyancer right?

You have limited options available to you. Given that you are taking out a loan with a bank your lawyer has to comply with their conditions as set out in their version of the CML Conveyancing Handbook. Your conveyancer would have previously signed the Terms and Conditions of your lender’s conveyancing panel appointment which obliges them to comply with the Council of Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook specifications . Even if you were a cash buyer you would be ill advised not to carry out Halifax conveyancing searches.

When does exchange of contracts happen for residential conveyancing in Halifax and do I need to be at the solicitors branch?

If you are local to our conveyancing solicitors in Halifax you are invited in to sign contracts. That being said, the law practices we work with offer countrywide coverage for conveyancing and provide as equally detailed and professional a job for you when communicating with you electronically. The signing of the contract is not when everything is set in stone. Signing on the dotted line simply enables the firm to officially exchange at the suitable time, which is ordinarily shortly after signing. The exchange process is nowadays normally dealt with by telephone and can be very rapid, although where a lengthy "chain" is in the mix, since the process requires the relevant party's solicitor (not necessarily a conveyancing solicitor in Halifax)to be in the office at the appropriate time.

I am helping my step-mother sell her flat in Halifax. Will the conveyancing solicitor order the energy performance certificate or it is for the seller to see to?

Following the abolition of HIPs, energy performance certificates was retained a compulsory component of selling a house. An energy assessment must be to hand prior to the property being advertised. It is not something that law firms ordinarily organise. Where you are instructing a Halifax conveyancing lawyer they may be able to arrange energy assessments given their contacts with long established local providers

My solicitor has informed me that breach of easement insurance is needed on my purchase. What is the level of cover for Halifax conveyancing?

The right level of breach of easement indemnity insurance depends on your lender. It would differ for example between HSBC Bank and Skipton Building Society. Conveyancing solicitors as opposed to members of the public take out such insurances.

I'm the single recipient of my late grandmother’s estate and I have everything in my name now, including the house in Halifax. Conveyancing formalities meant that the Land Registry date was in March. I plan to dispose of the house. I do know about the Mortgage Lenders six month 'rule', meaning my proprietorship will be regarded the same way as though I had purchased the property in March. Do I have to wait 6 months to sell?

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." Technically you might be caught by that. How sensible a view lenders take of it, depend on the mortgage company as this requirement is chiefly there to identify subsales or the flipping of properties.

My friend advised me that if I am buying in Halifax I should carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?

A search of this type is sometimes included in the estimate for your Halifax conveyancing searches. It is not a small document of more than thirty pages, listing and detailing significant information about Halifax around the property and the people living there. It incorporates an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the local Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the type of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average Property Price, Crime details, Halifax Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data concerning Halifax.

Planning to complete next month on a basement flat in Halifax. Conveyancing solicitors have said that they report fully next week. What should I be looking out for?

Your report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in Halifax should include some of the following:

Ground rent - how much and what the invoice dates are, and be on notice if this is subject to change The landlord’s rights to access the premises. You should be made aware that your landlord has rights of access as well as be informed how much notice must be provided. Does the lease prevent you from letting out the flat, or having a home office for business Whether your lease provides for a reserve fund? Setting out your legal entitlements in respect of the communal areas in the building.For instance, does the lease grant a right of way over an accessway or hallways?

Leasehold Conveyancing in Halifax - A selection of Questions you should ask before buying

What is the yearly service fee and ground rent? For many Halifax leaseholds the cost for major works tend not to be incorporated into the maintenance charges, although there some managing agents in Halifax require tenants to pay into a reserve fund created for the specific purpose of establishing a fund for major repairs or maintenance. How is the lease structured?