Completed the sale of my flat in Northwich last July yet the purchaser is calling daily to moan that their solicitor needs to hear from myconveyancer. What should my lawyer have done following completion?

Following your house sale your solicitor is duty bound to send the transfer deeds and all additional paperwork to the purchaser's lawyers. Where relevant, your conveyancer must also confirm that the mortgage has been redeemed to the buyers conveyancers. There are no post completion formalities peculiar conveyancing in Northwich.

Me and my partner are purchasing a property in Northwich. It might be a silly question but how we can trust a lawyer? On the day of competition we have to deposit funds into their account. What protection do we have from them run away with our money?

Be assured that all money in a Solicitors client account is 100% safe, and even if your Solicitor ran off with it, the Law Society would reimburse you fully.

I'm in the process of viewing houses in Northwich and I am about to put in an offer. Is it premature to have a solicitor in place? I intend to finance via a mortgage with Principality.

You should start obtaining conveyancing estimates from solicitors ASAP. Once you decide who you want to use and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and forward their details on to the estate agent. As you are seeking a mortgage with Principality, make sure you remember to check that your lawyer is on the Principality conveyancing panel.

Clydesdale have agreed my mortgage in principle, my bid on a property in Northwich has been accepted, now what?

Your estate agent will need to know who your solicitors are (ensure that the lawyers are on the lender’s panel). Call up Clydesdale or your financial adviser and finish off any relevant forms. Clydesdale will appoint a valuer who will get in contact with the estate agent or seller to arrange an appointment. Once conducted (assuming no problems) it takes about ten days for the mortgage offer to be issued. Clydesdale will send the offer to you and your conveyancing practitioners. The legal work will then take it’s course according the nature and complexity of the conveyancing in Northwich.

Should our lawyer be asking questions about flooding during the conveyancing in Northwich.

Flooding is a growing risk for solicitors conducting conveyancing in Northwich. Some people will buy a house in Northwich, completely expectant that at some time, it may suffer from flooding. However, aside from the physical damage, where a property is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to obtain a mortgage, satisfactory building insurance, or sell the property. Steps can be carried out during the course of a property purchase to forewarn the purchaser.

Lawyers are not best placed to give advice on flood risk, but there are a various searches that may be initiated by the buyer or by their conveyancers which should figure out the risks in Northwich. The conventional set of completed inquiry forms sent to a purchaser’s lawyer (where the solicitors are adopting what is known as the Conveyancing Protocol) incorporates a usual question of the owner to discover if the premises has suffered from flooding. If flooding has previously occurred and is not notified by the owner, then a buyer could bring a legal claim for losses as a result of such an misleading answer. The purchaser’s lawyers may also commission an environmental search. This should indicate if there is any known flood risk. If so, additional inquiries will need to be made.

Should I be suspicious that brokers that I am dealing with are suggesting an online conveyancing firm rather than a local Northwich conveyancing firm?

As is the case with many professional services, often input from connections can be worth their weight in gold. But there are many players in a conveyancing transaction; estate agents, financial adviser and banks might all put forward conveyancers to retain. Sometimes the conveyancers might be known to one of the organisations as experts in their field, but sometimes there might be a commercial relationship behind the endorsement. You have the discretion to choose your preferred conveyancer. Don't forget that most banks have an approved list of lawyers you are obliged to use for the mortgage aspect of your transaction.

My wife and I purchased a leasehold flat in Northwich. Conveyancing and Bank of Ireland mortgage organised. I have received a letter from someone claiming to own the freehold. It included a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1992. The conveyancing solicitor in Northwich who acted for me is not around. Do I pay?

First make enquiries of HMLR to make sure that the individual purporting to own the freehold is in fact the registered owner of the freehold reversion. You do not need to instruct a Northwich conveyancing solicitor to do this as it can be done on-line for a few pound. You should note that in any event, even if this is the rightful freeholder, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.

I invested in buying a ground floor flat in Northwich, conveyancing was carried out half a dozen years ago. Can you let me have an estimated range of the fair premium for a lease extension? Corresponding properties in Northwich with a long lease are worth £179,000. The ground rent is £65 charged once a year. The lease terminates on 21st October 2082

You have 57 years remaining on your lease we estimate the premium for your lease extension to span between £26,600 and £30,800 plus costs.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to supply a more accurate figure in the absence of comprehensive investigations. You should not use the figures in tribunal or court proceedings. There may be additional issues that need to be taken into account and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not move forward based on this information before getting professional advice.