My husband and I are intent on purchasing a leasehold flat in Litherland. My Solicitor is not listed on the mortgage company conveyancing list. Is it possible for me to continue with my Litherland conveyancing solicitor notwithstanding that they are not on the bank panel of approved conveyancing solicitors?

You must have a lawyer to deal with the formalities when you require a loan to purchase your home. The solicitor will conduct all the appropriate due diligence on the property, make sure that you will be registered as proprietor and ensure that all the necessary mortgage documentation is in place. You could instruct a Litherland solicitor of your choosing. However, where the lawyer appointed is not on the lender solicitor panel further costs will be levied as separate legal representation will be need by the lender. Conveyancing panel applications may be submitted, so provided your lawyer has not previously applied for membership they can do so.

My grandmother passed away last year and as sole heir and executor I was left the house in Litherland. The house had a small mortgage left on it of around £4500. I want to transfer the title deeds into my name whilst I re-mortgage to Santander, pay off the mortgage. Is this possible?

Given you plan to refinance then Santander will insist on your using a conveyancer on the Santander 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 Santander 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 Santander mortgage is registered as a charge at the Land Registry.

In my capacity as executor for the estate of my uncle I am disposing of a house in Neath but live in Litherland. My solicitor (based 300 kilometers awayhas requested that I execute a statutory declaration prior to completion. Could you suggest a conveyancing practitioner in Litherland to witness and place their company stamp on the document?

Technically speaking you are unlikely to be required to have the documents attested by a conveyancing solicitor. Normally any notary public or qualified solicitor will suffice regardless of whether they are Litherland based

I am a negotiator for a reputable estate agency in Litherland where we have witnessed a number of flat sales derailed due to short leases. I have received inconsistent advice from local Litherland conveyancing solicitors. Can you shed some light as to whether the seller of a flat can initiate the lease extension formalities for the buyer?

Provided that the seller has been the owner for at least 2 years it is possible, to serve a Section 42 notice to start the lease extension process and assign the benefit of the notice to the purchaser. The benefit of this is that the buyer need not have to wait 2 years to extend their lease. Both sets of lawyers will agree to form of assignment. The assignment has to be done before, or simultaneously with completion of the sale.

Alternatively, it may be possible to agree the lease extension with the freeholder either before or after the sale. If you are informally negotiating there are no rules and so you cannot insist on the landlord agreeing to grant an extension or transferring the benefit of an agreement to the purchaser.

Litherland Leasehold Conveyancing - Sample of Questions you should ask Prior to Purchasing

Who are the managing agents? How many of the leaseholders are in arrears for their service charge payments? How much is the yearly maintenance fee and ground rent?

I purchased a flat in Litherland last 22/11/2024 and to date it is still not registered with HM Land Registry. It was part of a development site and my conveyancing practitioner told me that it may take one year to register. I have called HM Land Registry directly and they say that the initial application was cancelled due to questions not being addressed in time. What can I do?

Contact your conveyancer - Where you are unsatisfied with the responses, look up their internal complaints procedure and amplify your concerns to a Complaints Manager. Registrations for Litherland conveyancing are not known to be especially complex.