My fiance and I are planning to acquire a home in Haydock and have instructed a Haydock conveyancing firm. Within the last couple of days our property lawyer has sent a preliminary report and documents to look through with a view to exchanging next week. Barclays have this evening contacted us to advise us that they have now hit a problem as our Haydock conveyancer is not on their approved list of lawyers. Please explain?

If you are buying a property requiring a mortgage it is normal for the purchasers' lawyers to also represent the purchaser's lender. In order to act for a bank or building society a law firm has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the law firm to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the firm has to satisfy and indeed some lenders now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme. Your property lawyer should contact your mortgage company and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own lawyers to represent them. You are not legally obliged to appoint a law firm on the lender’s conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own Haydock solicitors, in which case it will likely add costs, and it may delay matters as you are adding another lawyer into the mix.

We see that you have a post code search directory listing law firms on the Santander conveyancing panel. Do firms pay you a referral fee if I retain them for our conveyancing in Haydock?

We are a listing service only for law firms wishing to communicate if they are on the Santander conveyancing panel or other lender panels. We do not charge referral fees to any conveyancer that you subsequently appoint for your conveyancing in Haydock.

Me and my brother have a 4 bedroom Victorian house in Haydock. Conveyancing practitioner represented me and The Royal Bank of Scotland. I did a free Land Registry search last week and I saw two entries: one for freehold, the second leasehold with the exact same property. Is it worth asking The Royal Bank of Scotland to clarify?

You need to review the Freehold register you have again and check the Charges Register as there may be mention of a lease. The best way to be sure that you are also the registered proprietor of the leasehold and freehold title as well is to check (£3). It is not completely unheard of in Haydock and other areas of the country and poses no real issues for owners other than when they mortgage they have to account for both freehold and leasehold interests when dealing with lenders. You can also check the situation with the conveyancing solicitor who conducted the conveyancing.

How does conveyancing in Haydock differ for newly converted properties?

Most buyers of new build residence in Haydock approach us having been asked by the builder to sign contracts and commit to the purchase even before the residence is ready to move into. This is because developers in Haydock usually buy the real estate, 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 conveyancing solicitors 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 Haydock or who has acted in the same development.

Can you offer any advice when it comes to appointing a Haydock conveyancing practice to deal with our lease extension?

When appointing a conveyancer for lease extension works (regardless if they are a Haydock conveyancing firm) it is essential that they be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We recommend that you make enquires with two or three firms including non Haydock conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then that’s a bonus. The following questions could be of use:

What are the legal fees for lease extension conveyancing? Can they put you in touch with clients in Haydock who can give a testimonial?

Haydock Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - A selection of Questions you should consider before Purchasing

How much is the ground rent and service charge? How many of the leaseholders are in arrears for their maintenance charge payments? It would be sensible to discover as much as you can regarding the managing agents as they will affect your use and enjoyment of the property. As the owner of a leasehold property you are often at the mercy of the managing agents from a financial perspective and when it comes to practical matters such as the upkeep of the communal areas. Don't be afraid to ask other people whether they are happy with them. In conclusion, be sure you discover the dates that you are obliged pay the service charge to the managing agents and specifically what you get for your money.