Me and my wife are purchasing an apartment in Kirkdale. My Conveyancer is not on the bank solicitor panel. Am I still permitted to continue with my Kirkdale conveyancing solicitor notwithstanding that they are excluded from the mortgage company panel?

One will need to use a conveyancer to complete the legal work required if you take out a loan to buy your home. The solicitor will conduct all the essential due diligence on the property, make sure that you will be registered as proprietor and ensure that all the required mortgage paperwork is in place. One may instruct a Kirkdale solicitor of your choice. However, where the solicitor appointed is not a member of the mortgage company conveyancing panel supplemental charges will arise as separate legal representation will be required by them. Bank panel applications can be submitted, so if your conveyancer has not previously applied for membership they should take the opportunity to apply.

A friend pointed out to me me that in purchasing a property in Kirkdale there could be various restrictions affecting the ability to carry out external alterations to a property. Is this right?

There are a number of properties in Kirkdale which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to execute external changes. Part of the conveyancing in Kirkdale should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.

My fiancee and I are at the point of looking at apartments in Kirkdale and I am about to put in an offer. Is it sensible to have a property lawyer on ‘stand by’? I will be getting a home loan with HSBC.

You should start requesting conveyancing quotes from solicitors ASAP. After you have chosen your lawyer and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and forward their contact information on to the EA. As you are obtaining a mortgage with HSBC, make sure you remember to check that your lawyer is on the HSBC conveyancing panel.

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

All banks and building societies have complaints procedures. Your first port of call should be one of the lender’s branches or the Customer Care Team at head office. Ordinarily 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, South Quay Plaza, 183 Marsh Wall, London E14 9SR who will take matters further.

Due to the input of my in-laws I had a survey completed on a property in Kirkdale prior to retaining conveyancers. I have been informed that there is a flying freehold aspect to the property. Our surveyor advised that some lenders will not give a loan on a flying freehold home.

It varies from the lender to lender. Lloyds has different requirements for example to Halifax. If you contact us we can investigate further with the appropriate bank. If you lender is happy to lend one our lawyers can help as they are accustomed to dealing with flying freeholds in Kirkdale. Conveyancing may be slightly more expensive based on your lender's requirements.

I am four weeks into a freehold purchase having been recommend to solicitors by the selling agent to carry out the conveyancing in Kirkdale. I am am very dissatisfied with the level of service. Can you help me find new conveyancers?

A solicitor would have to be really bad to suggest changing them. Has the loan offer been generated? If so you must advise them of the new contact details and ensure the mortgage documents are re-issued. The conveyancer should be on the banks panel to avoid supplemental costs and delays. So that should be your starting point. The search tool can help you find a lender approved lawyer for your home move in Kirkdale

I’m about to sell my ground floor flat in Kirkdale. Conveyancing lawyers have not yet been instructed, however I have just received a half-yearly service charge demand – Do I pay up?

It best that you pay the invoice as usual as all rents and maintenance charges should 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 next payment date. Most managing agents will not acknowledge the buyer unless 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. Having a clear account will assist your cause and will leave you no worse off financially.

I acquired a studio flat in Kirkdale, conveyancing having been completed March 1997. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Equivalent properties in Kirkdale with a long lease are worth £197,000. The ground rent is £55 invoiced annually. The lease ceases on 21st October 2074

With only 55 years left to run we estimate the price of your lease extension to range between £31,400 and £36,200 as well as legals.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to supply a more accurate figure in the absence of detailed investigations. Do not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt other issues that need to be considered and you obviously should be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not take any other action based on this information without first seeking the advice of a professional.