My partner and I are looking to acquire a flat in Littleborough and are in fact using a Littleborough conveyancing practice. Within the last couple of days our conveyancer has forwarded the sale agreement to be signed with a detailed report with the expectation that exchange is imminent. Skipton Building Society have this morning contacted us to inform me that there is now an issue as our Littleborough lawyer is not on their conveyancing panel. Please explain?

When purchasing a property with the benefit of a mortgage it is normal for the purchasers' solicitors to also act for the mortgage company. In order to act for a bank or building society a law firm has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the law firm to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the firm has to satisfy and indeed some lenders now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Accreditation Scheme. Your solicitor should contact your bank and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own solicitors to act. You don't have to instruct a firm on the bank's conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own Littleborough solicitors, in which case it will likely add costs, and it will likely delay the transaction as you are adding another lawyer into the mix.

Why do I have to pay up front when it comes to conveyancing in Littleborough?

Where you are retaining lawyers for conveyancing in Littleborough your solicitor will request that you place them with monies to cover the the cost of the conveyancing searches. This will be the total of the cost of the conveyancing searches. When the deposit is as part of the total price then this will be needed immediately in advance of contracts are exchanged. Any further balance that is due should be transferred a couple of days ahead of the completion date.

Will commercial conveyancing searches reveal proposed roadworks that could affect a commercial premises in Littleborough?

Many commercial conveyancing solicitors in Littleborough will order a SiteSolutions Highways report as it dramatically cuts the time that conveyancers invest in researching accurate data on highways that impact buildings and development assets in Littleborough. The report sets out definitive information on the adoption status of roads, footpaths and verges, as well as the implication of traffic schemes and the rights of way surrounding a commercial development sites in Littleborough.

For each commercial conveyancing transaction in Littleborough it is crucial to investigate the adoption status of roads surrounding a site. Failure to identify developments where adoption procedures have not been addressed adequately may cause delays to Littleborough commercial conveyancing deals as well as pose a risk to future plans for the site. These searches are not ordered for domestic conveyancing in Littleborough.

four months have gone by following my purchase conveyancing in Littleborough completed. I have checked the Land Registry website which shows that I paid £175,000 when infact I paid £215,000. Why the discrepancy?

The price paid figure is taken from the application to register the purchase. It is the figure included in the Transfer (the legal deed which transfers the asset from one person to the other) and referred to as the 'consideration' or purchase price. You can report an error in the price paid figure using the LR online form. In most cases errors result from typos so at first glance the figure. Do report it so they can double check and advise.

As co-executor for the will of my uncle I am selling a house in Swansea but I am based in Littleborough. My conveyancer (approximately 260 miles awayhas requested that I sign a stat dec ahead of completion. Can you recommend a conveyancing lawyer in Littleborough to attest and place their company stamp on the document?

strictly speaking you are not likely to be required to have the documents witnessed by a conveyancing solicitor. Normally or notary public or solicitor will be fine regardless of whether they are Littleborough based