Is the fact that my solicitor in Sale is not identified on my lender's solicitor panel that there is a problem with the quality of his conveyancing?

It would be unwise to jump to that conclusion. There are plenty of reasonable explanations. Just recently a report by the solicitors regulator indicated that over three quarters of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The top 5 reasons are as follows: (1) low volume of transactions (2) the lawyer is a sole practitioner (3) as part of the HSBC panel reduction (4) regulatory contact by SRA (5) accidental removal. If you are concerned you should contact the Sale conveyancing practice and ask them why they are no longer on the approved list for your mortgage company.

My uncle advised me that in buying a property in Sale there may be a number of restrictions preventing external changes to the property. Is this right?

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

I am buying a victorian detached house in Sale. Our aim is to an extension at the rear at the house.Will the conveyancing process include investigations to determine if these works are prohibited?

Your property lawyer should review the registered title as conveyancing in Sale will on occasion reveal restrictions in the title deeds which prohibit categories of works or need the consent of another owner. Many additions need local authority planning permissions and approval in accordance building regulations. Certain locations are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which frequently prevent or impact extensions. You should check these issues with a surveyor prior to committing yourself to a purchase.

After shopping around on the internet I have found a Sale conveyancer having checked that they are on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?

Leeds Building Society will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Leeds Building Society 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 solicitor 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 Sale postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Leeds Building Society, you could contact them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors in Sale.

I have been on the look out for a flat up to £195,000 and found one round the corner in Sale I like with amenity areas and transport links in the vicinity, the downside is that it's only got 61 remaining years left on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Sale in this price bracket, so just wondered if I would be making a grave error acquiring a short lease?

Should you need a mortgage that many years will be problematic. Discount the offer by the anticipated lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the current proprietor has owned the premises for at least twenty four months you may ask them to commence the lease extension formalities and pass it to you. You can add 90 years to the current lease term with a zero ground rent applied. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer concerning this matter.

Expecting to complete next month on a leasehold property in Sale. Conveyancing solicitors inform me that they report fully on Monday. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?

Your report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in Sale should include some of the following:

specifics of the parties to the lease, for example these could be the leaseholder, head lessor, landlord You should have a good understanding of the insurance requirements Defining your legal entitlements in respect of common areas in the block.By way of example, does the lease include a right of way over a path or hallways? Does the lease prevent you from letting out the flat, or having a home office for business Are pets allowed in the flat?

I inherited a 2 bed flat in Sale, conveyancing having been completed 5 years ago. Can you work out an approximate cost of a lease extension? Corresponding properties in Sale with a long lease are worth £206,000. The ground rent is £45 charged once a year. The lease finishes on 21st October 2090

With just 65 years remaining on your lease the likely cost is going to span between £13,300 and £15,400 as well as professional fees.

The figure that we have given is a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we cannot give you a more accurate figure in the absence of comprehensive investigations. You should not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be other concerns that need to be considered and you obviously want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. Please do not move forward based on this information before getting professional advice.

I need to change lawyers as my Sale lawyer is not on the lender's panel of conveyancing solicitors. How simple is it to change conveyancer?

If you haven't yet instructed a solicitor to commence the conveyancing and at this stage simply received quotes, you're perfectly free to choose a different solicitor to carry out your work for you. The best way is to get recommendations from friends or family who have actually used the solicitor or conveyancer in Sale that you're considering.