The Nether Edge conveyancing firm that I appointed last week on my house acquisition in Nether Edge have suddenly closed. I only went with them because I had to have a firm on the UBS conveyancing panel and my preferred Nether Edge lawyer was not. I paid them £170 in advance. What should be my next steps?

If you have an estate agent involved then let them know straight away so that they can let the sellers know that there may be a slight delay due to reasons beyond your control. Hopefully they will be sympathetic and urge their lawyer to send a new set of papers to your new solicitors. You should appoint new lawyers that are on the UBS conveyancing panel and notify the lender. If you have paid over any money, it will hopefully be held by the SRA as money in an intervened firm's bank accounts is transferred to the SRA. Then, the SRA or the intervention agent looks at the intervened firm's accounts to work out who the money belongs to. To claim your money you will need to contact the SRA. If the SRA cannot return money you are owed from the firm's bank accounts, or if they can only return part of the money, you can apply to the Compensation Fund for a grant. Your new solicitors may be able to help.

I am planning to move house in December. Does my conveyancing solicitor liaise with the removal company on the completion day. Incidentally, can you suggest a removal company in Nether Edge. Conveyancing firm was found before I stumbled across this website.

On the day of completion you can pick up the keys from the estate agent but this should only be done once the sellers solicitors advise the agent that they acknowledge receipt of the completion payment and the keys can be handed over. After that you should tell the removal men that you are ready to move in. We do not suggest a specific removal organisation but can assist you in choosing a conveyancing in Nether Edge or a legal practice that specialises in conveyancing in Nether Edge.

I am expecting a DIP from HSBC this week so we know how much we could potentially offer as otherwise we only have online calculators to go by (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do HSBC recommend any Nether Edge solicitors on the HSBC conveyancing panel, or is it better to find our own lawyer?

You will need to appoint Nether Edge solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the HSBC conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and HSBC through the process.

I currently have a mortgage with HSBC for my property in Nether Edge. Conveyancing has been completed 12 months ago. In the event that I decide to rent out the flat and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a BTL mortgage or inform HSBC?

Your original mortgage agreement with HSBC will provide that you need their approval in advance of letting out your property as this is likely to be a breach of HSBC’s mortgage conditions. It may be that HSBC will allow you to rent out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact HSBC directly. You need not do this via a HSBC conveyancing panel firm.

Do commercial conveyancing searches reveal proposed roadworks that may impact a commercial site in Nether Edge?

Many commercial conveyancing solicitors in Nether Edge will carry out a SiteSolutions Highways report as it reduces the time that conveyancers spend in investigating accurate data on highways that impact buildings and development assets in Nether Edge. The report provides 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 Nether Edge.

For each commercial conveyancing transaction in Nether Edge 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 can result in delays to Nether Edge commercial conveyancing deals as well as present a risk to future plans for the site. These searches are not carried out for residential conveyancing in Nether Edge.

I've recently bought a leasehold house in Nether Edge. Am I liable to pay service charges for periods before my ownership?

Where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous owner and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. However, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. It is an essential part of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to ensure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.

If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).

I bought a split level flat in Nether Edge, conveyancing was carried out January 2010. Can you shed any light on how much the price could be for a 90 year extension to my lease? Corresponding flats in Nether Edge with a long lease are worth £170,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £50 per annum. The lease comes to an end on 21st October 2104

With just 79 years left to run the likely cost is going to range between £7,600 and £8,800 as well as plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The suggested premium range that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you the actual costs without more comprehensive due diligence. You should not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be other issues that need to be considered and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Neither should you move forward based on this information without first getting professional advice.

At long last our conveyancing in Nether Edge is set to complete on Friday, however the vendors I am buying from has asked to move out on the Saturday PM. Should I agree to such a idea?

In situations where you are having a bank loan then your conveyancer will demand that the property isvacant on Friday - the mortgage company will insist on it.