Much to our surprise we have been told by our lender that my Merseyside the law firm I have appointed is not on the mortgage company Conveyancing panel. How can I be sure whether this is correct?

You need to contact your Merseyside lawyer directly. It is reasonable to expect your lawyer to inform you what has happened. Where they are not on the panel they could put your in touch with solicitors on the approved list of lawyers for your lender.

The owners have rather brash sellers who has insisted on a preliminary contract with a payment two thousand pounds. Is it wise to enter into such agreements?

This kind of contract is not the norm in Merseyside, conveyancers will often sway clients away from them as they detract from focusing on the primary focus, namely conveyancing and if you end up losing your deposit then the solicitor at best left with an upset client and at worst a litigious one. Secondly, there is no certainty that just because the proprietor has signed a lock out contract they will sell to you. They may breach the agreement if they receive a big enough offer to do so because an aggrieved buyer with the benefit of a lockoutcontract will still have to show losses as a consequence of the breach and this may not equalise the extra amount that your vendor may obtain by breaching the contract, no matter how morally reprehensible the behaviour is.

Why do I have to pay up front for conveyancing in Merseyside?

Where you are retaining lawyers for conveyancing in Merseyside your lawyer will request that you place them with funds to cover the the cost of the conveyancing searches. This will be the total of the cost of the conveyancing searches. If any down payment is payable against the sale price then this will be required immediately before exchange of contracts. The closing balance that is needed should be transferred a couple of days prior to the completion date.

My father-in-law has urged me to use his conveyancing solicitors in Merseyside. Should I use them?

Much as we are happy to recommend a Merseyside conveyancing lawyer it’s preferable to choose a conveyancing solicitor is to have guidance from friends or relatives who have used the conveyancer that you are contemplating using.

Can you offer any advice when it comes to finding a Merseyside conveyancing practice to carry out our lease extension conveyancing?

If you are instructing a solicitor for your lease extension (regardless if they are a Merseyside conveyancing practice) it is imperative that he or she should be familiar with the legislation and specialises in this area of work. We suggest that you make enquires with several firms including non Merseyside conveyancing practices before you instructing a firm. If the firm is ALEP accredited then so much the better. The following questions might be useful:

Can they put you in touch with clients in Merseyside who can give a testimonial? What volume of lease extensions has the firm completed in Merseyside in the last twenty four months?

Merseyside Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Examples of Queries Prior to Purchasing

Many Merseyside leasehold apartments will incur a service bill for the upkeep of the building levied by the management company. Where you purchase the flat you will have to pay this charge, usually periodically accross the year. This may be anything from several hundred pounds to thousands of pounds for large purpose-built blocks. In all probability there will be a rentcharge to be met annual, ordinarily this is not a large amount, say about £50-£100 but you need to check it because occasionally it can be many hundreds of pounds. What is the name of the managing agents? In the main the outlay for major works are not included within service charges, albeit that a few managing agents in Merseyside ask tenants to contribute towards a sinking fund created for the specific purpose of establishing a fund for larger repairs or maintenance.