I am planning to acquire a property and require a conveyancing solicitor in Rochdale who is on the Norwich and Peterborough Building Society conveyancing. Can you recommend a local firm?

Our service is limited to being a directory service for firms who wish to listed as being on the approved conveyancing panel for Norwich and Peterborough Building Society in certain locations such as Rochdale. We dont recommend any particular firm.

A relative advised me that in purchasing a property in Rochdale there could be a number of restrictions prohibiting external changes to a property. Is this right?

There are a number of properties in Rochdale which have some sort of restriction or requirement of consent to external variations. Part of the conveyancing in Rochdale should determine what restrictions are applicable and advising you as part of a ROT that should be sent to you.

When it comes to lenders such as Barclays, do Rochdale solicitors have to pay a yearly amount to be on the conveyancing panel?

We are not aware of any mortgage company fees to be on their panel, although some do charge an administration fee to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel application.

We expect to receive a AIP from Santander this week so we know how much we could potentially offer as otherwise we are dependent on web based calculators (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do Santander recommend any Rochdale solicitors on the Santander conveyancing panel, or is it better to go independently?

You will need to appoint Rochdale solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the Santander conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and Santander through the process.

It has been 3 months following my purchase conveyancing in Rochdale completed. I have checked the Land Registry site which shows that I paid £200,000 when infact I paid £215,000. Why the discrepancy?

The price paid figure is taken from the application to register the purchase. It is the figure included in the Transfer (the legal deed which transfers the premises from one person to the other) and referred to as the 'consideration' or purchase price. You can report an error in the price paid figure using the LR online form. In most cases errors result from typos so at first glance the figure. Do report it so they can double check and advise.

How does conveyancing in Rochdale differ for newly converted properties?

Most buyers of new build property in Rochdale come to us having been asked by the developer to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the premises is finished. This is because new home sellers in Rochdale typically acquire the site, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct conveyancers as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are used to new build conveyancing in Rochdale or who has acted in the same development.

Can you provide any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Rochdale from the point of view of expediting the sale process?

• Much of the frustration in leasehold conveyancing in Rochdale can be bypassed if you appoint lawyers as soon as your agents start marketing the property and ask them to collate the leasehold documentation needed by the buyers’ representatives.
If you hold a share in a the Management Company, you should make sure that you are holding the original share certificate. Obtaining a duplicate share certificate can be a time consuming process and frustrates many a Rochdale conveyancing deal. If a reissued share is needed, do contact the company officers or managing agents (if applicable) for this as soon as possible. If you have had any disputes with your freeholder or managing agents it is very important that these are settled before the property is marketed. The purchasers and their solicitors will be reluctant to purchase a property where there is an ongoing dispute. You may have to bite the bullet and pay any arrears of service charge or resolve the dispute prior to the buyers completing the purchase. It is therefore preferable to have any dispute settled ahead of the contract papers being issued to the buyers’ solicitors. You will still have to reveal particulars of the dispute to the buyers, but it is better to reveal the dispute as over rather than unresolved. In the event that you altered the property did you need the Landlord’s approval? Have you, for example installed wooden flooring? Rochdale leases often stipulate that internal structural alterations or addition of wooden flooring require a licence from the Landlord approving such alterations. If you dont have the consents in place you should not contact the landlord without checking with your solicitor first. A minority of Rochdale leases require Licence to Assign from the landlord. If this applies to your lease, you should notify your estate agents to make sure that the purchasers obtain bank and professional references. The bank reference will need to confirm that the buyers are financially capable of paying the yearly service charge and the actual amount of the service charge should be quoted in the bank’s letter. You will therefore need to provide your estate agents with the actual amount of the service charge so that they can pass this information on to the buyers or their solicitors.

Rochdale Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - A selection of Queries Prior to Purchasing

This question is important as a) areas could cause problems for the block as the common areas may start to deteriorate if repairs are not paid for b) if the tenants have a dispute with the managing agents you will need to have full disclosure Are there any major works in the near future that could increase the maintenance charges? In the main the outlay for major works tend not to be wrapped into the maintenance charges, albeit that there some managing agents in Rochdale require tenants to pay into a sinking fund and this is used to offset against major works.