I was advised yesterday by my estate agent that my Rawtenstall solicitor is not on the mortgage company Conveyancing panel. What can I do to be sure whether this is correct?

You need to call your Rawtenstall conveyancer. It is reasonable to expect your lawyer to notify you of the situation. If they are not on the panel they could put your in touch with solicitors on the conveyancing panel for your bank.

I have been told that property searches are the number one reason for delay in Rawtenstall conveyancing transactions. Is there any truth in this?

The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) released findings of a review by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not figure within the most frequent causes of delays during the legal transfer of property. Local searches are unlikely to feature in any delay in conveyancing in Rawtenstall.

What tools are available to identify a Rawtenstall solicitor on the Bank of Scotland conveyancing panel? I am a keen cyclist and am prepared to travel upto 25kilometers to meet the lawyer.

You can use the search on this website. Please pick a mortgage company and your location and you will see a number of Rawtenstall conveyancing lawyers located nearest you. We have detailed some Rawtenstall conveyancing firms towards the end of this page and you can ring them to check whether they are on the Bank of Scotland panel

I am a fortnight into a freehold purchase having been recommend to a firm by the estate agent to do our conveyancing in Rawtenstall. We are not happy. Can you help me find new conveyancers?

A solicitor would have to be very bad to suggest changing them. Has the loan offer been sent? In the event that it has you will need to advise them of the new contact details and ensure the mortgage documents are issued to the new lawyers. The conveyancer needs to be on the mortgage company approved list to avoid escalating costs and complications. So that should be your first question of the new conveyancers. Our find a solicitor tool should help you find a bank approved lawyer for your home move in Rawtenstall

Having checked my lease I have discovered that there are only Seventy years remaining on my lease in Rawtenstall. I am keen to extend my lease but my freeholder is absent. What should I do?

On the basis that you qualify, under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 you can apply to the County Court for for permission to dispense with the service of the initial notice. This will mean that your lease can be lengthened by the magistrate. However, you will be required to demonstrate that you or your lawyers have used your best endeavours to track down the lessor. On the whole an enquiry agent would be useful to conduct investigations and prepare a report to be accepted by the court as proof that the landlord is indeed missing. It is advisable to get professional help from a property lawyer both on devolving into the landlord’s absence and the vesting order request to the County Court covering Rawtenstall.

I acquired a basement flat in Rawtenstall, conveyancing was carried out December 2000. How much will my lease extension cost? Similar flats in Rawtenstall with a long lease are worth £202,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £60 invoiced annually. The lease ends on 21st October 2081

You have 56 years unexpired we estimate the price of your lease extension to span between £29,500 and £34,000 plus costs.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for renewing a lease, but we are not able to provide a more accurate figure in the absence of detailed due diligence. You should not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There are no doubt 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 seeking the advice of a professional.