It is is a decade since I acquired my home in Prestbury. Conveyancing lawyers have recently been instructed on the sale but I can't locate my title deeds. Will this cause complications?

Don’t worry too much. Firstly there is a chance that the deeds will be kept by the lender or they may still be with the solicitor who oversaw your purchase. Secondly in most cases the land will be recorded at the land registry and you will be able to prove you own the property by your conveyancing solicitors acquiring up to date copy of the land registers. The vast majority of conveyancing in Prestbury relates to registered property but in the unlikely event that your property is unregistered it is more of a problem but is not insurmountable.

I am buying a victorian detached house in Prestbury. Our aim is to convert the garage to a playroom at the house.Will legal due diligence on the property involve investigations to ascertain if these works were previously refused?

Your property lawyer will check the registered title as conveyancing in Prestbury will sometimes reveal restrictions in the title deeds which restrict categories of alterations or need the permission of another owner. Many extensions need local authority planning permissions and approval under the building regulations. Many areas are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which frequently prevent or affect extensions. It would be prudent to check these issues with a surveyor prior to committing yourself to a purchase.

When it comes to mortgage companies such as Leeds Building Society, do Prestbury solicitors incur an annual charge to be on the conveyancing panel?

We are unaware of any lender fees to be on their list of approved firms, although some do levy an administration charge to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel submission.

I'm in the process of looking at houses in Prestbury and I am about to put in an offer. Should I already have a conveyancing practitioner in place at this stage? I am planning to take a home loan with Lloyds.

It would be prudent to commence your search sooner rather than later. 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 EA. Given that you are getting a mortgage with Lloyds, ask your prospective lawyers if they are on the Lloyds conveyancing panel otherwise they can't do the mortgage legal work.

Are there restrictive covenants that are commonly identified during conveyancing in Prestbury?

Restrictive covenants can be picked up when reviewing land registry title as part of the legal transfer of property in Prestbury. An 1874 stipulation that was seen was ‘The houses to be erected on the estate are each to be of a uniform elevation in accordance with the drawings to be prepared or approved by the vendor’s surveyor…’

In sourcing the internet for the words on line conveyancing in Prestbury it reveals many solicitorsin the area. With so much choice what is the best way to find the right conveyancer for my move?

The ideal way of finding a suitable conveyancer is via trusted referral, so enquire of friends and family who have purchased a property in Prestbury or a local estate agent or financial adviser. Costs for conveyancing in Prestbury vary, so it's sensible to secure at least three fee estimates from varying types of companies. Make sure that you clarify that the fees are fixed.

I have checked your search tool I can't find the lawyer I was hoping to instruct as being on the mortgage company conveyancing panel. My lawyer has said that they are on the mortgage company approved panel. How can I be sure given that they are not listed on your directory?

Not all firms are yet listed on our lender panel search tool which is still relatively new. Law firms are listing on a daily basis and it is probably the case that your lawyer is on the mortgage company conveyancing lawyer and you should probably take them at their word. Please do feel free to suggest that they completing their listing on our site as it would only cost them £1 a month to list themselves as being on the bank solicitor panel.