In the event thatI was to buy a freehold housein Houghton Regis for cash and have no survey and no local authority searches how much would I expect to to save on my conveyancing in Houghton Regis?

Any savings you would gain will be isolated to the costs for searches. A property lawyer still got to do everything else - money laundering, correspond with your sellers conveyancing practitioner, SDLT return, register the property etc. You might save a bit for them not having to register a mortgage but it won't be a lot.

Do banks and building societies provide you with an approved list of Houghton Regis conveyancing solicitors? How do you know who is on the Co-operative conveyancing panel?

Houghton Regis conveyancing firms themselves provide us confirmation that they are on the Co-operative conveyancing panel as opposed to being supplied with a list from Co-operative directly.

I used Stirling Law a few years ago for my conveyancing in Houghton Regis. Now, I need my documents but cannot find the solicitor. What do I do?

Do contact the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to help locate 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 Houghton Regis of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously used, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.

In searching the internet for the phrase conveyancing in Houghton Regis it shows results of numerous solicitorsin the area. How do I determine which is the right property lawyer for the sale of my house?

The preferential method of seeking a suitable conveyancer is via personal recommendation, so ask friends and those you trust who have acquired a property in Houghton Regis or the reputable estate agent or mortgage broker. Charges for conveyancing in Houghton Regis differ, so it's sensible to obtain at least four fee estimates from varying types of solicitors. Be sure to seek confirmation what costs in the quote includes.

I’m about to sell my ground floor flat in Houghton Regis. Conveyancing is yet to be initiated, however I have recently received a yearly maintenance charge invoice – should I leave it to the buyer to sort out?

The sensible thing to do is pay the service charge as usual as all ground rent and service payments will be allotted as part of the financial calculations for completion monies, so you should recover the relevant percentage by the purchaser for the period running from after the completion date to the subsequent invoice date. Most managing agents will not acknowledge the buyer until the service charges have been paid and are up to date, so it is important for both buyer and seller for the seller to show that they are up to date. This will smooth the conveyancing process.

I bought a split level flat in Houghton Regis, conveyancing having been completed in 1996. Can you please calculate a probable premium for a statutory lease extension? Similar flats in Houghton Regis with over 90 years remaining are worth £176,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 invoiced annually. The lease expires on 21st October 2105

You have 80 years unexpired 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 are not able to supply the actual costs without more detailed investigations. You should not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt additional concerns that need to be taken into account and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward based on this information without first getting professional advice.