It is is a decade since I acquired my house in Helmsley. Conveyancing solicitors have just been appointed on the sale but I can't track down my title documents. Is this a major issue?

Don’t worry too much. Firstly there is a possibility that the deeds will be with your mortgage company or they could be in the possession of the conveyancers who acted in your purchase. Secondly the likelihood is that the property will be registered at the land registry and you will be able to establish that you are the registered owner by your conveyancing lawyers procuring current official copies of the land registers. Nearly all conveyancing in Helmsley involves registered property but in the rare situation where your property is not registered it adds to the complexity but is not insurmountable.

I can see plenty of information on this site concerning conveyancing in Helmsley but can you isolate your top tip for selecting the right conveyancer in Helmsley

It would be unwise to be seduced by the cheapest Helmsley conveyancing fees. You really do get what you’re paying for when it comes to property lawyers. A cheap quote may mean that the conveyancing solicitor is handling a lot of jobs at one time and you won’t get the quality of service and the attention that you need. It is, however, wise to use a conveyancer who has a fixed fee on a no sale, no fee basis. This way, you go into the conveyancing with your eyes wide open.

I had a mortgage agreed in principle with Leeds Building Society. Helmsley conveyancing solicitors were appointed. How long does it take for Leeds Building Society to issue the offer to the solicitor?

Some lenders take longer than others. Have Leeds Building Society completed the survey? Have you advised Leeds Building Society as to your lawyers' details and checked that your lawyers are on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel? It is not unusual for a mortgage offer to take a month to come through.

The formalities of my remortgage has taken place for my property in Helmsley. Conveyancing was a necessary evil but I feel I should register my dissatisfaction about the lender. How does one go about formally complaining?

All lenders have complaints procedures. Your first port of call should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Services Team at head office. In most cases complaints to a lender are resolved effectively and efficiently. However if you are not satisfied that the matter is not resolved you can write to Financial Ombudsman Service who will take matters further.

How difficult is it to switch conveyancer as I need to find a firm on the Aldermore conveyancing list. I instructed a local conveyancing solicitor in Helmsley five minutes from me but the firm is not approved by Aldermore

It would be our pleasure to assist you select a conveyancing solicitor in Helmsley on the Aldermore panel. Please note that the law firms that we work with do not pay us a referral fee if you instruct them and are under regulation of the Solicitors Regulation Authority who regulate all conveyancing solicitors in Helmsley. Using the find a conveyancing solicitor tool on this page, you can compare fees for conveyancing solicitors in Helmsley and throughout England and Wales.

Frank (my husband) and I may need to let out our Helmsley ground floor flat temporarily due to taking a sabbatical. We used a Helmsley conveyancing practice in 2003 but they have closed and we did not think at the time get any advice as to whether the lease allows us to sublet. How do we find out?

The lease governs relations between the freeholder and you the leaseholder; in particular, it will indicate if subletting is not allowed, or permitted but only subject to certain conditions. The accepted inference is that if the lease contains no specific ban or restriction, subletting is allowed. Most leases in Helmsley do not contain 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 supplying a duplicate of the sublease.

Leasehold Conveyancing in Helmsley - A selection of Questions you should ask before Purchasing

On the whole the outlay for major works tend not to be built into the service charges, although some managing agents in Helmsley require leaseholders to pay into a sinking fund created for the specific intention of building a fund for major repairs or maintenance. What is the length of the lease? How much is the maintenance charge and ground rent on the flat?

We are purchasing a four bedroom maisonettein Helmsley with a loan from a bank. We have selected a solicitor in Helmsley yet our mortgage company advise he's not on their "panel". Apparently we need to choose from the our bank panel solicitors or stay with our Helmsley conveyancer and incur the extra fees for one of their panel ones to represent our mortgage company. We feel as though this is unjust; is there anything we can do?

No, not really. The lender home loan issued is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the mortgage company's conveyancing panel. in the past, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels, including most conveyancing solicitors in Helmsley : a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. A further alternative is for your lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel for your mortgage company.