My fiance and I are hoping to purchase a property in New Ferry and are in fact using a New Ferry conveyancing practice. Within the last couple of days our property lawyer has sent a preliminary report and documents to look through with a view to exchanging next week. Leeds Building Society have this afternoon contacted us to advise us that there is now an issue as our New Ferry conveyancer is not on their approved list of lawyers. What do we do from here?

If you are buying a property with the assistance of a mortgage it is standard for the purchasers' lawyers to also act for the purchaser's lender. 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 Quality Scheme. Your solicitor should contact your lender and see if they can apply for membership of their conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable they will instruct their own lawyers to represent them. You don't have to instruct a firm on the bank's conveyancing panel as you are at liberty to use your preferred New Ferry lawyers, in which case it will likely add costs, and it may delay matters as you have another set of people involved.

We are about to exchange contracts for a semi detached house in New Ferry. We have hit a stumbling block. The loan offer with Alliance & Leicester runs out on 4/2/2026 but the vendors are putting forward a completion date of 6/2/2026. Is it possible to prolong the mortgage expiry date?

The best person to deal with your question is your solicitors who will assess whether they corresponding with the mortgage broker, owner’s conveyancers, property agents or possibly all parties based on what has gone on in your transaction to date.

It is 10 years ago since I purchased my property in New Ferry. Conveyancing lawyers have now been instructed on the sale but I can't locate my title deeds. Will this jeopardise the sale?

Don’t worry too much. Firstly there is a chance that the deeds will be kept by the lender or they could be in the possession of the solicitor who acted in your purchase. Secondly the likelihood is that the title will be recorded at the land registry and you will be able to prove you are the registered owner by your conveyancing lawyers obtaining up to date copy of the land registers. Almost all conveyancing in New Ferry involves registered property but in the unlikely event that your home is not registered it adds to the complexity but is not insurmountable.

Will my conveyancer be making enquiries regarding flooding during the conveyancing in New Ferry.

Flooding is a growing risk for lawyers dealing with homes in New Ferry. There are those who acquire a house in New Ferry, completely aware that at some time, it may be flooded. However, aside from the physical damage, where a property is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to obtain a mortgage, satisfactory insurance cover, or sell the property. Steps can be carried out as part of the conveyancing process to forewarn the buyer.

Solicitors are not qualified to offer advice on flood risk, but there are a numerous checks that can be initiated by the buyer or on a buyer’s behalf which should give them a better understanding of the risks in New Ferry. The conventional set of property information forms sent to a purchaser’s solicitor (where the solicitors are adopting what is known as the Conveyancing Protocol) contains a usual inquiry of the vendor to determine if the premises has historically flooded. In the event that flooding has previously occurred which is not disclosed by the owner, then a buyer may commence a compensation claim as a result of such an inaccurate response. The purchaser’s lawyers may also commission an enviro report. This will indicate if there is a recorded flood risk. If so, additional inquiries will need to be made.

I need to instruct a conveyancing solicitor for purchase conveyancing in New Ferry. I have stumble across a web site which looks to be the ideal answer If there is a chance to get all this stuff completed via phone that would be ideal. Do I need to be wary? What are the potential pitfalls?

As usual with these online conveyancers you need to read ALL the small print - did you notice the extra charge for dealing with the mortgage?