I am in a contract race with another buyer for a property in Halstead. What can be done to hasten the conveyancing process?

First, If you are under time constraints for your conveyancing we would recommend that your solicitor is familiar with the location as they will make use of local relationships and intelligence. It is even conceivable that they could have handled previousproperties in the same road. You would be best advised to use a Halstead conveyancing solicitor. Second, make sure that the conveyancing firm is on the on the approved list for your mortgage company. It is understood that just under twenty per cent of Halstead conveyancing deals are held up or jeopardised after finding out that a purchaser’s lawyer was not on their banks panel. In many cases this discovery resulted in the transaction being frustrated by as much as 21 days. It is claimed that this issue impacts in the region of 100,000 home moves every year. Almost all Halstead conveyancing practices can not act for certain mortgage companies so do check as early as possible.

Do lenders provide you with an approved list of Halstead conveyancing solicitors? How do you know who is on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel?

Halstead conveyancing firms themselves provide us confirmation that they are on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel as opposed to being supplied with a list from Bank of Ireland directly.

The deeds to my home are lost. The lawyers who dealt with the conveyancing in Halstead 5 years ago are no longer around. Will I be able to sell the house?

These day there are copies made of almost everything, and your lawyer should be aware precisely where to find all the suitable documentation so you may purchase or sell your house without any difficulty. Where duplicates are not available, your solicitor can put in place insurance or indemnities protecting you against possible claims on the premises.

My husband and I are FTB’s - agreed a price, but the estate agent advised that the seller will only issue a contract if we use the agent's chosen conveyancers as they are insisting on a ‘quick sale’. My instinct tells me that we should use a high street solicitor who is familiar with conveyancing in Halstead

It is unlikely the owners are behind this. Should the vendor require ‘a quick sale', taking such a hostile approach to a genuine buyer is going to damage their objectives. Bypass the agents and go straight to the owners and make the point that (a)you are genuine purchasers (b)you are excited to move forward, with finances in place © you are unencumbered (d) you intend to proceed fast (e)but you intend to appoint your preferred Halstead conveyancing firm - not the ones that will give the estate agent a kickback or achieve conveyancing targets set by head office.

My fiance and I may need to sub-let our Halstead garden flat temporarily due to a career opportunity. We instructed a Halstead conveyancing firm in 2001 but they have since shut and we did not have the foresight to get any advice as to whether the lease allows us to sublet. How do we find out?

A lease governs the relationship between the landlord and you the flat owner; specifically, it will set out if subletting is prohibited, or permitted but only subject to certain caveats. The rule is that if the lease contains no specific ban or restriction, subletting is allowed. Most leases in Halstead do not prevent an absolute prevention of subletting – such a provision would undoubtedly devalue the property. In most cases there is a basic requirement that the owner notifies the freeholder, possibly sending a copy of the sublease.

I bought a basement flat in Halstead, conveyancing was carried out half a dozen years ago. Can you let me have an estimate of the premium that my landlord can legally expect in return for granting a renewal of my lease? Corresponding properties in Halstead with over 90 years remaining are worth £171,000. The ground rent is £50 yearly. The lease expires on 21st October 2097

With 79 years remaining on your lease we estimate the price of your lease extension to be between £8,600 and £9,800 as well as plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure without more comprehensive due diligence. You should not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt additional issues that need to be taken into account and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not take any other action based on this information before getting professional advice.