My wife and I are purchasing a apartment in Rugeley. It might be a silly question but how we can trust a conveyancer? On the day of competition we have to send money into their account. What protection do we have from them run away with our deposit?

Be assured that all money in a Solicitors client account is 100% safe, and even if your Solicitor ran off with it, the Law Society would reimburse you fully.

I am expecting a DIP from HSBC this week so we can work out what to offer on a property we like as otherwise we are dependent on web based calculators (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc). Do HSBC recommend any Rugeley solicitors on the HSBC conveyancing panel, or is it better to find our own lawyer?

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

I have a mortgage with Kent Reliance for my property in Rugeley. Conveyancing was finalised some time ago. If I am intending to rent out the flat and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a BTL mortgage or inform Kent Reliance?

You must advise Kent Reliance in advance of renting your property as this is likely to be a breach of Kent Reliance’s mortgage conditions. It may be that Kent Reliance will allow you to rent out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact Kent Reliance directly. It should not be necessary to do this via a Kent Reliance conveyancing panel solicitor.

We are buying a property and the lawyer has raised the issue of Chancel Repair to which the house may be liable because it falls into the area of such a church. She has mentioned insurance. Is this strictly necessary for conveyancing in Rugeley

Unless a prior acquisition of the house completed post 12 October 2013 you may assume that solicitors handling conveyancing in Rugeley to remain recommending a chancel search and or insurance against a claim.

The estate agent has sent us the confirmation of our purchase of a new build apartment in Rugeley. Conveyancing is necessary evil 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.

Set out below is a sample of a selection of leasehold new build questions that you should expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Rugeley

The Landlord must covenant to assume the management if the Management Company goes into liquidation or otherwise defaults in running the management scheme. The Vendor must covenant to keep unsold units in good repair until long leases are granted therefore. Where service of notices and proceedings can be at the property demised please confirm that this can be amended to include simultaneous services at the Lessees’ solicitors’ offices where the Lessee from time to time is not resident in the UK - such solicitors may be varied by notice in writing to the Landlord from time to time but otherwise will be as previously specified. Where there is an Undertaking being granted there is the risk of forfeiture of the Headlease subject to relief if one or more of the Underlessees are willing to accept the original Head Lessee’s obligations as otherwise relief will be denied to the Underlessees. The only alternatives are the Head Lessor agreeing not to forfeit the Headlease or the Head Lessee guaranteeing to the Underlessees that it will not be in breach of the Headlease. Will control of the Management Company (if any) be handed over to purchasers on completion of the last sale or earlier?

Am I best advised to appoint a Rugeley conveyancing lawyer who is local to the property I am purchasing? We have a good friend who can carry out the legal work but his firm is located over three hundred miles drive away.

The benefit of a local Rugeley conveyancing practice is that you can drop in to sign documents, present your identification documents and apply pressure on them if necessary. Having local Rugeley know how is a benefit. However it's more important to get someone that will pull out all the stops for you. If if people you trust used your friend and they were happy that should trump using an unknown Rugeley conveyancing solicitor just because they are Rugeley based.

Completion is due on the disposal of our £275,000 maisonette in Rugeley on Friday in a week. The managing agents has quoted £324 for Landlord’s certificate, building insurance schedule and 3 years statements of service charge. Is it legal for a freeholder to charge an administration fee for a flat conveyance in Rugeley?

Rugeley conveyancing on leasehold flats normally necessitates the buyer’s solicitor submitting questions for the landlord to address. Although the landlord is not legally bound to address such questions the majority will be content to assist. They are entitled to levy a reasonable administration fee for responding to questions or supplying documentation. There is no upper cap for such fees. The average fee for the paperwork that you are referring to is over three hundred pounds, in some transactions it is above £800. The management information fee invoiced by the landlord must be sent together with a summary of rights and obligations in respect of administration fees, otherwise the charge is not strictly payable. Reality however dictates that you have little option but to pay whatever is requested of you if you want to complete the sale of your home.

Rugeley Conveyancing for Leasehold Flats - Sample of Queries before buying

What prohibitions exist in the Rugeley Lease? Are there any major works in the planning that will likely add a premium to the service charges? What is the name of the managing agents?