Please help. My Hyde conveyancer is advising me that she is duty bound toorder Hyde conveyancing searches asthe firm are on the HSBCapproved lawyer panel. Is this really necessary?

You have limited options available to you. As you are taking a home loan with a mortgage company your solicitor has to comply with their conditions as set out in their version of the CML Conveyancing Handbook. Your lawyer would have previously signed the Terms and Conditions of your bank’s conveyancing panel appointment which obliges them to comply with the CML Handbook requirements . Even if you were a cash buyer you would be ill advised not to carry out Hyde conveyancing searches.

My grandmother passed away six months ago and as sole heir and executor I was left the property in Hyde. The house had a relatively small loan remaining of approximately £8000. I want to have the title changed into my name whilst I re-mortgage to Virgin Money, pay off the mortgage. Is this possible?

If you plan to re-mortgage then Virgin Money will insist on your using a conveyancer on the Virgin Money conveyancing panel. Here is link to the Land Registry online guidance around what to do when a property owner dies. This will help you to understand the registration process behind changing the details re the registered title. in your case it would appear that you are effectively purchasing the property from the estate. Your Virgin Money conveyancing panel solicitor pays the new mortgage money into the estate, the estate pays off the old mortgage, the charge is released and you become the owner and the Virgin Money mortgage is registered as a charge at the Land Registry.

I can not work out if my mortgage offer obliges me to make sure the lease term for the flat is extended prior to the completion date. I have telephoned my Hyde bank branch on various occasions and was told it wasn't an issue and they would lend. My Hyde conveyancing solicitor - who is on the bank conveyancing panel- called to say that they will not lend based on their specific requirements. Who do I believe?

The solicitor has to comply with the CML Handbook Part 2 provisions for your lender. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that the mortgage company will go ahead, your lawyer has no choice but to refrain from exchanging contract and committing you to the purchase. We would suggest that you ask the lender to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the number of years left on the lease.

I recently had an offer accepted on an apartment in Hyde. My financial adviser pressured me to appoint their property lawyer. I paid an on account payment of £225. Soon after, the lawyer contacted me embarrassingly acknowledging that they were not on the Skipton conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?

You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Skipton panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.

Planning on purchasing a house in Hyde. I have received an online quote from a licenced conveyancer, which states: "There will be no charge for dealing with the Building Society if you are obtaining a mortgage". I take this to mean that there will be no additional fee if the solicitor is on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel. I wanted to make sure it means there will be no additional fees for dealing with the mortgage.

They are simply saying that the cost for acting for the lender is included in the fee being quoted. It is worth you checking that the Hyde conveyancer is on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel.

I've recently found out that there is a flying freehold element on a property I put an offer in last month in what was supposed to be a quick, chain free conveyancing. Hyde is where the house is located. What do you suggest?

Flying freeholds in Hyde are not the norm but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside Hyde you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds diligently. Your bank may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Hyde may decide that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold premises.

Last April I purchased a leasehold property in Hyde. Am I liable to pay service charges for periods before my ownership?

Where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous owner and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. However, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. It is an essential part of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to be sure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.

If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).

I inherited a ground floor flat in Hyde, conveyancing formalities finalised 9 years ago. Can you please calculate a probable premium for a statutory lease extension? Equivalent flats in Hyde with a long lease are worth £255,000. The ground rent is £45 levied per year. The lease ceases on 21st October 2099

With 74 years unexpired the likely cost is going to span between £8,600 and £9,800 plus costs.

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 in the absence of detailed investigations. You should not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be additional issues that need to be taken into account and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward placing reliance on this information before seeking the advice of a professional.