We were just about to exchange contracts for a ground floor flat in Rainford. We encountered a stumbling block. The loan offer with Barclays expires on 15/1/2026 but the vendors are insisting on a completion date of 19/1/2026. Is it possible to prolong the mortgage offer?

The best person to deal with your question is your lawyer who is in a position to calculate if he or she is better off negotiating with the mortgage broker, seller’s representatives, selling agents or possibly all three taking into account the circumstances your transaction to date.

We previously instructed conveyancing lawyers based in Rainford on the Yorkshire BS solicitor panel. They are now charging me a further charge for dealing with the Yorkshire BS mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee set by Yorkshire BS?

Provided it is contained in their Terms and Conditions or estimate then yes your lawyer may levy a fee for this. The fee is not set by Yorkshire BS but by your Rainford lawyer. Plenty of firms on the Yorkshire BS panel will quote ’dealing with mortgage’ fee but some firms incorporate it on their overall fee.

I am currently in the process of buying my council flat in Rainford. I have a mortgage offer with Leeds Building Society. Conveyancing is not something I have any knowledge of. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should have one. Any advice?

It is not advisable to proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event, if you are getting a mortgage with Leeds Building Society, you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel.

I've digested plenty of mortgage guides, I note that it is considered advisable to get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my local Rainford solicitor - who is on the Skipton conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. is that correct?

Skipton will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Skipton will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. Your property lawyer will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by your Rainford postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Skipton, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Rainford.

What can a local search tell me regarding the house we're buying in Rainford?

Rainford conveyancing often starts with the applying for local authority searches directly from your local Authority or through a personal search company such as PSG The local search plays an important role in most Rainford conveyancing purchase; as long as you don’t want any nasty surprises after you move into your new home. The search will reveal data on, amongst other things, details on planning applications relevant to the property (whether granted or refused), building control history, any enforcement action, restrictions on permitted development, nearby road schemes, contaminated land and radon gas; in all a total of 13 subject areas.

Just had an offer accepted on a new build apartment in Rainford. Conveyancing is a frightening process at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. What sort of enquires would be asked in new build conveyancing.

Here are examples of a few leasehold new build questions that you can expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Rainford

Investor purchasers must be able to freely grant unsecured tenancies at market rents without requiring any consents. Please confirm the Lease plans are surveyor prepared. Please supply a car parking plan. There must be mutual enforceability of lessee’s covenants. The Vendor must covenant to keep unoccupied units in good repair until long leases are granted therefore.

I acquired a property in Rainford last 15/10/2024 and to date it is still not registered with the Land Registry. It is part of a new estate and my conveyancing practitioner told me that it can take twelve months to register. I have called the Land Registry directly and they say that the initial application was cancelled due to questions not being addressed in time. What can I do?

get in touch with your lawyer - if you are not getting sensible responses, enquire as to their firm’s complaints process and escalate your concerns to a Partner. Registrations for Rainford conveyancing are not known to be especially complex.