We're in Rochdale, First time buyers purchasing with a mortgage (lender is Santander , and our lawyer is on the Santander conveyancing panel). How long should the conveyancing process take?

The fact that your lawyer is on the Santander conveyancing panel is a help. It would almost certainly delay matters if they were not. However, no lawyer should guarantee a timeframe for your conveyancing, due to third parties outside of your control such as delays caused by lenders,conveyancing search providers or by the other side’s solicitors. The time taken is often determined by the number of parties in a chain.

My colleague suggested that where I am buying in Rochdale I should ask my conveyancer to execute a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. Can you explain what the purpose of this search is?

A search of this type is usually quoted for as part of the standard Rochdale conveyancing searches. It is a large document of more than thirty pages, listing and setting out significant information about Rochdale around the property and the people living there. It incorporates an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the local Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the demographics of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average Property Price, Crime details, Rochdale Education with plans and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful information about Rochdale.

The estate agent has sent us the confirmation of our purchase of a new build apartment in Rochdale. Conveyancing is daunting at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. Can you give me some examples of some of the questions asked in new build legal work.

Here are examples of a selection of leasehold new build enquiries that you should expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Rochdale

The Vendor must covenant to keep unsold units in good repair until long leases are granted therefore. Will the freehold then be transferred for a nominal consideration (not exceeding £100) to the Management Company? Has the Lease plan been approved by the Land Registry and if not when will they be lodged for this purpose? Forfeiture - bankruptcy or liquidation must not apply under this provision. Please confirm the Lease plans are architect prepared.

I am one month into a residential purchase having been directed to solicitors by the high street agent to execute conveyancing in Rochdale. I am am extremely frustrated with the level of service. Could you help me find new lawyers?

They would need to be very poor in order to consider diss instructing them. Has your loan offer been generated? In the event that it has you must advise them of the new solicitor and ensure the loan are re-sent. Your conveyancer needs to be on the banks approved list to avoid supplemental fees and frustration. So that should be your first question of the new solicitors. The find a solicitor tool can assist you in finding a lender approved lawyer for your home move in Rochdale

Due to sign contracts shortly on a leasehold property in Rochdale. Conveyancing solicitors have said that they report fully on Monday. What should I be looking out for?

The report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in Rochdale should include some of the following:

You need to be told what counts as a Nuisance as far as the lease is concerned You should be sent a copy of the lease The landlord’s rights to access the property. You should be made aware that your landlord has rights of access as well as be informed how much notice must be provided. How long the lease is. You should receive guidance as what happens when the lease expires, and informed of the importance of not letting the lease term falling below eighty years What options are open to you if another tenant in the building breaches a clause of their lease?

I bought a 1 bedroom flat in Rochdale, conveyancing formalities finalised half a dozen years ago. Can you let me have an estimate of the premium that my landlord can legally expect in return for granting a renewal of my lease? Comparable flats in Rochdale with an extended lease are worth £180,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £65 yearly. The lease finishes on 21st October 2084

With 59 years unexpired the likely cost is going to be between £20,900 and £24,200 plus costs.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to provide the actual costs without more detailed due diligence. You should not use the figures in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be other issues that need to be taken into account and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward placing reliance on this information before getting professional advice.