I am due to exchange buying a house in Marple but as a consequence of damage from the recent storms I have was able negotiate reparation from the vendor in the sum of £3k in the form of a adjustment in the price. I had intended this to be addressed as part of amending the contract however Virgin Money are not allowing this. Why were they involved?

The solicitor being on the Virgin Money approved list is obliged to advise Virgin Money of any amendments to the purchase price. If you prohibit your lawyer to notify the reduction to Virgin Money then they would have to discontinue acting for you. In addition, Virgin Money and you would have to appoint a new solicitor for your conveyancing in Marple.

What will a local search inform me concerning the house I am purchasing in Marple?

Marple conveyancing often starts with the submitting local authority searches directly from your local Authority or through a personal search company such as Searchflow The local search plays a central part in many a Marple conveyancing purchase; as long as you wish to avoid any nasty once you have moved into your new home. The search will provide information on, amongst other things, details on planning applications applicable to the premises (whether granted or refused), building control history, any enforcement action, restrictions on permitted development, nearby road schemes, contaminated land and radon gas; in all a total of 13 subject headings.

In what way can the Landlord & Tenant Act 1954 impact my commercial property in Marple and how can your lawyers assist?

The 1954 Act gives protection to business tenants, granting the a statutory right to make a request to court for a new lease and remain in occupation at the end of the lease term. There are certain specified grounds that a landlord can refrain from granting a lease renewal and the rules are complex. Fees are different for commercial conveyancing. Marple is one of our numerous areas of the UK in which our lawyers are based

I own a leasehold flat in Marple. Conveyancing and Skipton Building Society mortgage organised. I have received a letter from someone saying they have taken over the reversionary interest in the property. It included a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1994. The conveyancing practitioner in Marple who acted for me is not around. Any advice?

First make enquiries of the Land Registry to make sure that the individual purporting to own the freehold is in fact the new freeholder. You do not need to incur the fees of a Marple conveyancing practitioner to do this as you can do this on the Land Registry website for a few pound. Rest assured that regardless, even if this is the rightful landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.

I inherited a 1st floor flat in Marple, conveyancing having been completed in 1995. Can you shed any light on how much the price could be for a 90 year extension to my lease? Comparable properties in Marple with over 90 years remaining are worth £202,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £60 invoiced annually. The lease ceases on 21st October 2083

With just 57 years unexpired the likely cost is going to span between £28,500 and £33,000 as well as professional fees.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs in the absence of comprehensive investigations. You should not use this information in tribunal or court proceedings. There are no doubt other concerns that need to be considered and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward placing reliance on this information before getting professional advice.

Myself and my wife have recently had an offer accepted on a house and had meeting on Tuesday with HSBC for the mortgage. They warned me that when it comes to appointing a property lawyer that unless they are on their approved panel of lawyers then we will incur an additional fee of £200. This is because they will then have to select a conveyancer to act on their behalf as well as the one we choose to act for ourselves and we are liable for their costs. I have requested HSBC to provide me with a list so I can seek quotes only from their approved lawyers but was told they dont have such a list to hand over. Is their an easier way of going about this?

Ask HSBC what their criteria for joining their panel is for a conveyancer.Thereafter ask the conveyancing practitioner of your choice whether they fit that criteria and have they acted on mortgages for HSBC before. Where the answer to those is yes, then just clarify this with HSBC. Another option is to make use of our search tool and we should be able to find you a solicitor in Marple on the panel for HSBC.